This paper focuses on the major decision variables and appertaining decision makers in the selection of long term health care facilites. The literatures identifies principal decision makers as physicians and females between the ages of 45 and 65, and that the decision making process is usually rushed, haphazard, and guilt-ridden. The results of the study cite five decision factors perceived as most important by physicians and females age 45 to 65. The study concludes by comparing these results and recommending a more aggressive marketing communeiations effort by long term health care facilities.

This study extends outshopping knowledge from North America to Europe. Outshoppers and non-outshoppers in a Finnish town are compared in terms of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, importance of shopping area choice attributes, perceptions of the local trading area, and purchase localities of products. Implications are drawn and comparisons of results are made to general findings from North America.