In 2012, the CIA World Fact Book showed that the service sector contributed about 76.6% and 51.4% of the 2010 gross national product of both the United States and Ghana, respectively. Research in the services area shows that a firm's success in today's competitive business environment is dependent upon its ability to deliver superior service quality. However, these studies have yet to address factors that influence customers to remain committed to a mass service in economically diverse countries. In addition, there is little research on established service quality measures pertaining to the mass service domain. This dissertation applies Rusbult's investment model of relationship commitment and examines its psychological impact on the commitment level of a customer towards a service in two economically diverse countries. In addition, service quality is conceptualized as a hierarchical construct in the mass service (banking) and specific dimensions are developed on which customers assess their quality evaluations. Using, PLS path modeling, a structural equation modeling approach to data analysis, service quality as a hierarchical third-order construct was found to have three primary dimensions and six sub-dimensions. The results also established that a country's national economy has a moderating effect on the relationship between service quality and investment size, and service satisfaction on investment size. This study is the first to conceptualize and use the hierarchical approach to service quality in mass services. Not only does this study build upon the investment model to provide a comprehensive decision model for service organizations to increase their return on investment but also, provides a congruence of work between service quality and the investment model in the management and decision sciences discipline.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study sought to better understand the communication of commitment in monogamous romantic relationships, including how one communicates his/her commitment to his/her partner and how one interprets messages from his/her partner. Focusing on the fundamentals of communicating commitment to one’s partner proves beneficial in understanding the commitment processes in daily life. In an effort to understand this concept, I used themes from interdependence theory and the investment model to formulate the interview questions and develop the findings. The findings and interpretations demonstrate that couples are communicating their commitment to each other in words/verbal expressions, especially in the beginning stages of the committed relationship; the commitment global construct employed most to communicate commitment in relationship is relational maintenance behaviors; and people perceive that nonverbal expressions of commitment are the best way to interpret messages of commitment from one’s partner.

Economic theories usually assume that the amount of work offered by individuals increase as wages and salaries increase. However, there are volunteers who present their work without payment for the production of goods and services, for the benefit of others. Volunteer work is of significance in a time when social safety nets are weak and there are ever increasing demands on welfare organisations. Volunteers can make a difference in their communities and entire society in general which means that if they are understood better, it may be possible to harness their power for the greater good. Therefore, this thesis analyses volunteers and volunteerism in South Africa and the factors that determine their efforts. The manuscript presents a critical discussion of economic theories of volunteering, major concepts and types of volunteers to arrive at a plausible set of models explaining volunteerism and the general motives of volunteers. The descriptive analysis of data sets from the Labour Force Survey was conducted. The data also allows for the estimation of a limited dependent variable regression model of the probability of volunteering as a function of individual-specific predictors. The results from Logit (Binary LogitRegression) regression showed that all estimated coefficients have the expected signs: Females are more likely to do volunteer work more than males; older people are more likely to participate more in volunteer activities than middle age and younger ones. The results also reveal that the higher your level of education, the more likely you will be to do volunteer work. This was the same with income: higher income individuals are more likely to do volunteer work. This study also used data from the Volunteer Activities Survey (VAS) to describe volunteers and estimate a model of the determinants of hours of volunteer work supplied. The results indicate a robust relationships between volunteered and determinant such as gender, age group; population group, level of education, income category, marital status and employment status, to mention few. Results from the regression model show that age is positively related to hours spend doing volunteer work. Even though the gender variable is found to be not statistically significant, the results indicated that women do volunteer work more than men. The further a person is educated the more he/she will participate in voluntary work. The evidence indicated that there is a positive relationship between income and hours of volunteering. The evidence provides a number of findings that are important to policymakers, non-profit organisations and all other stakeholders in volunteerism. This study could be used to devise more efficient and effective plans of how the number of volunteers and the hours that they volunteer could be retained and increased. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Economic theories usually assume that the amount of work offered by individuals increase as wages and salaries increase. However, there are volunteers who present their work without payment for the production of goods and services, for the benefit of others. Volunteer work is of significance in a time when social safety nets are weak and there are ever increasing demands on welfare organisations. Volunteers can make a difference in their communities and entire society in general which means that if they are understood better, it may be possible to harness their power for the greater good. Therefore, this thesis analyses volunteers and volunteerism in South Africa and the factors that determine their efforts. The manuscript presents a critical discussion of economic theories of volunteering, major concepts and types of volunteers to arrive at a plausible set of models explaining volunteerism and the general motives of volunteers. The descriptive analysis of data sets from the Labour Force Survey was conducted. The data also allows for the estimation of a limited dependent variable regression model of the probability of volunteering as a function of individual-specific predictors. The results from Logit (Binary LogitRegression) regression showed that all estimated coefficients have the expected signs: Females are more likely to do volunteer work more than males; older people are more likely to participate more in volunteer activities than middle age and younger ones. The results also reveal that the higher your level of education, the more likely you will be to do volunteer work. This was the same with income: higher income individuals are more likely to do volunteer work. This study also used data from the Volunteer Activities Survey (VAS) to describe volunteers and estimate a model of the determinants of hours of volunteer work supplied. The results indicate a robust relationships between volunteered and determinant such as gender, age group; population group, level of education, income category, marital status and employment status, to mention few. Results from the regression model show that age is positively related to hours spend doing volunteer work. Even though the gender variable is found to be not statistically significant, the results indicated that women do volunteer work more than men. The further a person is educated the more he/she will participate in voluntary work. The evidence indicated that there is a positive relationship between income and hours of volunteering. The evidence provides a number of findings that are important to policymakers, non-profit organisations and all other stakeholders in volunteerism. This study could be used to devise more efficient and effective plans of how the number of volunteers and the hours that they volunteer could be retained and increased. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

I ett samhälle där relationer, även sådana av icke romantisk karaktär, har en central roll imänniskors liv är det viktigt att försöka förstå vad som ligger till grund för individers engagemangi relationer. The Investment Model säger att engagemang i relationer ökar då individerupplever ökade belöningar, minskade kostnader, färre attraktiva alternativ samt att deinvesterat mycket i relationen. I föreliggande tvärsnittsstudie undersöktes 61 grundskolelärarei Göteborgs Stad, med hjälp av the Investment Model, angående upplevt engagemang tillsitt arbete via ett frågeformulär. Studien visade att grundskolelärare med längre anställningstidupplever att de investerat mer i sitt arbete än vad de med kortare anställningstid angav.

Several theories have attempted to explain the stay/leave decisions of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). One recent study suggests that women’s intent to return to their abusive partners was related to forgiveness of the abuse; consequently, this study aims to identify factors that may make women more likely to forgive IPV. It was hypothesized that commitment, specifically both personal dedication and constraint commitment (Stanley & Markman, 1992), would predict forgiveness and that denial of injury would mediate the relation between commitment and forgiveness, as women may be more likely to deny the severity of the abuse in order to reduce the experienced dissonance that arises from being committed to an unhealthy relationship. Finally, it was hypothesized that silencing the self (Jack, 1991) would moderate the relation between personal dedication and denial of injury. Results generally supported the hypothesis that denial of injury would mediate the relation between commitment and forgiveness. Silencing the self was not found to be a moderator. These findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Forecasting capital expenditures in early stages of an offshore wind power project is aproblematic process. The process can be affected by optimism bias and strategicmisrepresentation which may result in cost overruns. This thesis is a response to issuesregarding cost overruns in offshore wind power projects. The aim of this thesis is tocreate a cost forecasting method which can estimate the necessary capital budget in awind power project. The author presents a two-step model which both applies the inside view and outsideview. The inside view contains equations related to investment and installation costs.The outside view applies reference class forecasting in order to adjust the necessary costcontingency budget. The combined model will therefore forecast capital expenditures fora specific site and adjust the cost calculations with regard to previous similar projects. The results illustrate that the model is well correlated with normalized cost estimationsin other projects. A hypothetical 150MW offshore wind farm is estimated to costbetween 2.9 million €/MW and 3.5 million €/MW depending on the location of the windfarm.

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Infidelity violates a western norm that a range of interpersonal behaviours should remain exclusive in committed romantic relationships. Once exposed, the aftermath can be detrimental to all concerned. However, despite a cultural majority endorsing this belief and apprised of the potential consequences of its violations, infidelity or extradyadic relationships are widespread. Furthermore, individual differences in beliefs about what constitutes infidelity blur the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, making the concept of unfaithfulness difficult to fully describe. This variation in attitudes and behaviour, along with the consistent media attention infidelity attracts affirms the enigmatic nature of the behaviour. In response, an aim of the study was to clarify the construct of infidelity among a contemporary Australian sample. This was achieved in two ways. Firstly, the study examined beliefs and behaviours associated with unfaithfulness using qualitative (focus group) and largely quantitative (survey) data. Secondly, the study involved investigation of the association between infidelity and several individual, relationship and environmental variables. Differences in relationships and environmental conditions can be conceptualised within the theoretical framework of the investment model, while adult attachment theory and a lovestyles typology offer theoretical underpinnings to the study of individual differences. Specifically, the aim of this stage of the study was to examine how adult attachment styles (anxious, avoidant), lovestyles (eros, ludus, storge, mania, pragma, agape), relationship variables (satisfaction, investment, commitment), and an environmental variable (perceived alternatives) predicted infidelity. The sample comprised 243 women and 69 men between the ages of 18 and 60 years (M = 31.3 years, SD = 11.9) who were currently in a romantic relationship of at least one year or who had recently been in such a relationship. Participants completed measures pertaining to attachment, lovestyles and various aspects of relationship quality in addition to several measures of extradyadic behaviour. The study found that infidelity, as defined by respondents, was engaged in by 20% of individuals in their current relationships and by 42% of individuals in their previous relationships. Regarding the nature of infidelity, the current findings indicated that various sexual and emotional behaviours carried out with someone other than one's primary partner were considered unfaithful by the vast majority, while fantasy and flirting behaviours were generally seen as acceptable. It was noteworthy, however, that a substantial minority also viewed fantasy as unfaithful, underlining the inherent complexity of the construct. The hypotheses concerning the variables predicting infidelity were partially supported. Results suggested that individuals most likely to engage in extradyadic behaviour were those with an avoidant attachment style or a Ludus lovestyle, more perceived alternatives to their relationship, and most unexpectedly, higher levels of investment in their relationship. Conversely, those least likely to engage in these behaviours were those with an Eros Lovestyle and greater levels of commitment to their relationship. The study confirmed the prevalence of infidelity and emphasised the differential attitudes, behaviours and motivations associated with it. These differences are discussed in relation to the theories presented and an argument is made for research on infidelity to take a broader focus, one that includes the combined aspects of individuals, their relationships and the environment. Implications of these findings for individuals and couples and for the professionals who work with them are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the structure and antecedents of cruise passengers' loyalty. Specifically, the study examined the dimensionality of the loyalty construct. Moreover, the study investigated the utility of applying the Investment Model (Rusbult 1980, 1983) to reveal the psychological processes underlying loyalty formation. The study also attempted to, guided by the Investment Model, integrate the seemingly segregated findings of loyalty antecedents from marketing and leisure/tourism literature. Based on the Investment Model and other marketing and leisure/tourism studies on loyalty, a conceptual framework was established for this study. An online panel survey was conducted to examine this model. Subjects (N = 554) were online panelists who were repeat cruisers and who have cruised at least once in the past 12 months. In this study, loyalty was conceptualized as a four-dimensional construct: cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, conative loyalty, and behavioral loyalty. Further, the first three components were postulated as three subdimensions of a higher order construct, attitudinal loyalty. However, this conceptualization was not supported by the data. Alternatively, post-hoc analyses revealed that attitudinal loyalty was a first-order one-dimensional construct, containing cognitve, affective, and conative components. Moreover, behavioral loyalty was positively and significantly influenced by attitudinal loyalty. In sum, this study supported the traditional two-dimensional conceptualization of loyalty, which argues that loyalty has an attitudinal and a behavioral component. Following the Investment Model, this dissertation suggested that satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investment size were three critical antecedents of consumers' attitudinal loyalty. These theoretical relationships were supported by the present study, and collectively, the three predictors accounted for over 74 percent of the variance in attitudinal loyalty. Finally, this dissertation hypothesized that quality and value, two constructs related to loyalty, served as antecedents of satisfaction, with quality also leading to value. Results of the study supported all these hypotheses, and satisfaction was found to partially mediate the quality-attitudinal loyalty, and value-attitudinal loyalty relationships. Results of the present study provide important direction for the development of a holistic theoretical framework to explain the formation and structure of customers' brand loyalty.