The world has seen incredible changes in recent years, and the most notable has been the introduction of computers into our society. One industry that has greatly benefited from the use of computers in their field has been the hospitality industry. The country club sector is one area of the hospitality industry that has been greatly improved through the use of computers. This study evaluated the software and hardware for private country clubs, and related that to the usage of these products by the private country clubs in Virginia. The study utilized a survey to investigate the types of and methods by which computers have impacted these country clubs. The survey's results were offered to each country club that was surveyed, for their usage in whatever manner they find helpful. / Master of Science

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka de attityder som svenska och finländska konsumenter har beträffande ursprungslandsinformation, i synnerhet bilden av PIIGS-länderna. Teorierna i uppsatsen utgår ifrån Country of origin och dess effekter samt från tidigare forskning.Uppsatsen har en kvantitativ ansats där en enkätundersökning och statistiska beräkningar utförts. Slutsatserna i denna uppsats är att de svenska och finländska konsumenterna generellt inte tar hänsyn till ursprungslandsinformation. De påvisar även negativa attityder gentemotPIIGS-länderna gällande tillförlitlighet och produktkvalité i jämförelse med deras hemländer. / The purpose of this paper is to examine the attitudes that Swedish and Finnish consumers have regarding Country of origin information, in particular the image of the PIIGS countries.The theories in this essay are based on Country of origin and its effects as well as from previous conducted research. The essay has a quantitative approach in which a questionnaire and statistical calculations have been performed. The conclusions of this paper are that the Swedish and Finnish consumers generally do not take Country of origin information into account.They also show negative attitudes towards the PIIGS countries regarding reliability and product quality in comparison to their home countries.

Background: This study will be beneficial for Swedish companies that wish to enter the French market and will also benefit companies in France that have something to do with Sweden or that are playing on the Swedish origin. The outcome of this study will give a perspective on Swedishness in Swedish companies, brands and products with French consumers.References to places and countries such as French wine, Hollywood movies, and Russian roulette are examples of how the origin of countries can create associations influencing consumers' product evaluation and buying behaviour. In the process of understanding French consumers' product country image in relation to Sweden, it is important to map their buying behaviour and associations to Swedish companies, brands and products. The consumer perception of the country of origin can together with other attributes add brand equity to a company, brand or a product. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedishness in Swedish brands and products influences the perception of quality and to assist companies in their decision making on how to market in France. Conclusion: French consumers are influenced by global and national perceptions of countries of origin. Swedishness and Scandinavia have a particularly good reputation with French consumers. This influence is high and influences the consumers' quality-perception process through various influencers. Presentation of figures that can be used as generic figures when considering the influencers of your country's image when marketing cross-nationally.

<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study will be beneficial for Swedish companies that wish to enter the French market and will also benefit companies in France that have something to do with Sweden or that are playing on the Swedish origin. The outcome of this study will give a perspective on Swedishness in Swedish companies, brands and products with French consumers.References to places and countries such as French wine, Hollywood movies, and Russian roulette are examples of how the origin of countries can create associations influencing consumers' product evaluation and buying behaviour. In the process of understanding French consumers' product country image in relation to Sweden, it is important to map their buying behaviour and associations to Swedish companies, brands and products. The consumer perception of the country of origin can together with other attributes add brand equity to a company, brand or a product.</p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedishness in Swedish brands and products influences the perception of quality and to assist companies in their decision making on how to market in France.</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: French consumers are influenced by global and national perceptions of countries of origin. Swedishness and Scandinavia have a particularly good reputation with French consumers. This influence is high and influences the consumers' quality-perception process through various influencers. Presentation of figures that can be used as generic figures when considering the influencers of your country's image when marketing cross-nationally.</p>

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Revenant incessamment au cœur de l’actualité, la question du made in suscite l’intérêt du monde académique depuis plusieurs décennies. Pourtant, la mondialisation et les pratiques commerciales favorisent un environnement de consommation peu propice à une prise en compte volontaire de cette information. En décalage avec cette réalité, de nombreux travaux s’inscrivent encore dans le cadre du paradigme d’un individu rationnel et des modèles cognitifs de traitement délibéré de l’information. L’objectif de cette recherche est de contribuer à une meilleure connaissance des effets du made in dans un contexte de consommation plus naturel.Notre revue critique de la littérature illustre la prédominance d’approches avant tout cognitives, malgré l’apparition d’éléments de nature affective à l’origine de débats invitant à un changement de paradigme. Prenant la mesure de l’importance d’un affect chronique associé au pays d’origine, nous nous appuyons sur le modèle de contenu des stéréotypes et sur la théorie des niveaux de représentation pour développer nos hypothèses de recherche, mettant en exergue les effets combinés des associations affectives et cognitives avec le pays, ses produits ou ses ressortissants, sur l’évaluation du produit par les consommateurs.Nous présentons ensuite nos choix expérimentaux, procédons aux contrôles des données collectées, puis rapportons les tests de nos hypothèses et les résultats de nos analyses. Ceux-ci révèlent des effets directs mais aussi indirects de l’affect pays chronique sur les évaluations des produits. Ces effets diffèrent selon la perception par les consommateurs des ressortissants du pays d’origine, et selon leur perception des produits. / As the economy or politics face new challenges, the question of the origin of products often surfaces in the media and becomes a focus of attention. For several decades, academics have studied the effects of origin on consumers’ attitudes towards products. However, globalization and commercial practices contribute to generating an environment unfavorable to full awareness of such information. This leads to a gap between reality and many research studies, still subscribing to the paradigm of a fully rational individual and to cognitive models of deliberate information processing. The objective of this research is to reach a better understanding of how made-in effects occur in a more natural consumption context.We first conduct a critical literature review highlighting prevailing approaches of an essentially cognitive nature, in spite of the emergence of affective elements sparking debates on a paradigm shift. This leads us to recognize the importance of a chronic country-related affect associated to a product’s country of origin. Building on the stereotype content model and the construal level theory, we develop our research hypotheses on the combined effects of affective and cognitive associations to this country, its products and its nationals, on consumers’ evaluations of the product.We then detail our experimental design, proceed to preliminary controls of collected data, and present the tests of our hypotheses and our main results. They reveal both direct and indirect effects of chronic country-related affect on the evaluations of products. These effects differ depending on consumers’ perceptions of the nationals and of the products from the country of origin.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the country image influences Swedish brands in their promotion strategy. The thesis will explore what underlying factors come to influence the country of origin effect in the brands promotion and which cues are used when communicating their origin with consumers. To address the purpose of the thesis, the following question will be answered: How does the country of origin influence Swedish brands in their promotion strategy?In regard to the research question and purpose, the theoretical framework includes previous studies related to different dimensions of country of origin and the effect it has on consumer affinity, different stereotypes regarding country image as well as different COO-strategies. To answer the research question, this thesis contains a qualitative research approach, with an inductive method and a multiple case study design. We interviewed 3 companies, within 3 different product categories which gave us valuable insights regarding how the Swedishness is communicated to consumers and how the Swedish country image is perceived internationally on different product categories. An analysis was made with the empirical findings together with the theoretical framework, with comparisons between the companies as well as pointing out differences and similarities between the case companies. The overall findings from this thesis is that Sweden holds a positive image internationally and that it is beneficial for companies to promote their Swedishness. The different companies also emphasize different cues in their promotion, to get a match between product category and country image, hence use the Swedishness in different ways.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Carol W. Shanklin / The purpose of this study was to survey country club professionals’ importance perceptions of food defense and the frequency with which preventive practices were implemented in their clubs to prevent bioterrorism. Gaps between importance perceptions and practice frequency were compared with concern of food terrorism and practice frequency implementation. Perceived self-efficacy measures and perceived barriers were compared with motivations to develop a food defense management plan and practice frequency implementation. Importance perceptions and practice frequencies were studied to ascertain if there were differences among operational factors. Club professionals with smaller gaps implemented preventive practices more frequently. Club professionals with higher self-efficacy levels were more motivated to develop food defense management plans and implemented preventive practices more frequently. Club professionals with higher barriers were less motivated to develop food defense management plans and implemented preventive practices less frequently. The field study component investigated food security practices in private country clubs. Club manager interviews and observations of operational practices were conducted. Most club managers stated that they did not think their clubs were at risk of a bioterrorist attack. Cost and lack of need were identified as barriers towards implementing a food defense management plan. Club employees were perceived to be more likely to initiate a bioterrorism attack than non-employees. Background checks and good employment practices were perceived as effective in increasing food security in clubs. Most clubs did not monitor arrivals and over half did not secure their chemicals. Based on the results of the field study, the researcher recommended several actions that could improve food security in country clubs including installing video surveillance and developing disaster management plans that include food defense. Recommendations for future research included continued examination of club managers’ self-efficacy perceptions towards biosecurity and identifying barriers to food defense implementation in other retail foodservice segments.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 S84 / Master of Arts