Despite the availability of distance education technology, Oregon State University Extension Service educators have made limited use of this equipment for delivery of educational programs to clients of the state's 36 county Extension Service offices. Some Extension educators may be hesitant to use distance technology because they are unsure whether clients will accept distance delivered programming. This project explored this issue, framed in the question: Is distance education received favorably or unfavorably by volunteer adult learners? A volunteer learner is defined as one who seeks to gain knowledge while interacting with others who share like interests, a description that fits many Extension Service clients. Other questions in the project were: How much do volunteer learners learn from distance delivered instruction compared to traditional instruction? and How much do volunteer learners interact with instructors and each other in the distance classroom compared to the traditional classroom? Participants in the project were adults taking part in the MG training program in February 1993 in five Oregon counties. These adult learners participated in two 90-minute instructional segments; part one, 'Landscaping for Wildlife' and part two, 'Controlling Wildlife in the Home Landscape.' Part one was delivered via satellite delivery. Part two was delivered to participants in person by the instructor. In both parts, learners were pre- and post-tested on the subject matter presented. Learners also completed opinion surveys for each session. Audio tapes were made of each session for analysis of learner-learner, and learner-instructor interaction. Also, the Extension agents acting as downlink site coordinators in the project were interviewed to assess their opinions of the distance education session. Comparison of the data indicate that learners felt the quality of learning experience in both modes of program delivery was about equal. Also, the testing component indicated that participants learned about the same amount of material. Interaction analysis results indicated little or no difference in the amount of interaction in both the traditional and distance sessions. The results show that the effectiveness of distance delivery of Master Gardener training instruction to adult learners is equivalent to traditional delivery of training instruction for participants in this study. / Graduation date: 1997

Brand contraction and Marketing constitute a new challenge in the 21st century¡¦s business development. The Smile Curve Theory provided by the founder of Acer Group, Mr. Stan Shih Z.R, who once stressed that value added manufacturing being low, the future development in Taiwan should focus on research/development and brand marketing. Due to the advancements in science technology and the keen competition among enterprises, many similar products can be found in the market. In general, branding is the motive that encourages producers to create unique products while stimulating customers to pay higher prices for what they want. Brand is an important asset to the enterprise; it not only brings profits under excellent quality control but also offers a convenient identity and enhances a company¡¦s growth. The well-known strategy of brand extension helps to reduce risks while promoting a new product in the market. However, the cost of promoting a new product into the market is higher than the cost occurred in the strategy of brand extension. For instance, the cost of promoting a new product into the market is about 50-100 million US Dollars in the American market (Brown, 1985). As a result, the advantage of applying the brand extension strategy lies in the promoting of new products and increasing the chances for success. The study aims at understanding the evaluation of brand image perception and brand extension from the viewpoint of consumers, and the study object was the package of aquatic products from Taiwan Water Corporation. The brand image perception and its image after extension constitute the independent variable. Consumers¡¦ high or low evaluation of brand image perception and the related extension were analyzed and examined to determine whether there was any significant correlation after extension. Furthermore, comparison of brand image was made between the new mineral water of Taiwan Water Corporation and others from the leading companies. The high or low brand image was sorted out in sequence and its relation ship with the brand extension evaluation was compared. Questionnaires were sent to 386 interviewees and the statistics were examined, the conclusions were drawn. Results: 1. There¡¦s significant correlation between the original brand and brand image perception after extension; if the similarity of brand extension is high, the correlation of the original brand image perception is higher than for products which have low similarity. 2. Between the original brand image perception and brand extension evaluation, the high brand image perception achieved higher brand extension evaluation than did the low brand image perception. The evaluation of brand extension with high similarity is also higher than that of brand extension with low similarity. 3. There¡¦s no interactive effect in ownership between the brand image perception and brand extension evaluation. The owner of the original brand gives a higher evaluation to brand extension with high similarity, than do non-owners. There¡¦s no significant variation between owner and non-owner to brand extension with low similarity. 4. If the similarity of brand extension is high, consumers often focus on the transferred perception of the functional image of the IT commodity. The value, function and reliability will be appreciated after brand extension. The brand extension with low similarity should emphasize the functional image and the transferred perception of the symbolized image from consumers. The fashionable image, personal style and outstanding reputation should also be formed so that a better evaluation of brand extension with low similarity can be made afterwards. Due to customers continuing to value the original brand image after brand extension of cross-classification, enterprises should treasure the influence of the original brand image and the compatible category on brand extension, as well as the variation resulting from different perceptions.

<p>Active forest management is generally considered a desirable approach for both private and public tracts. While stakeholder collaboration and input are used on public lands, states have used several approaches to facilitate forest management on private forests including property tax-incentive programs, cost-share and technical assistant programs, and professional advice. Some researchers have studied how educational programs can facilitate woodland management on private lands. While some determined that the adoption of management practices can be influenced, in part, by attending educational programs, understanding of the factors that contribute to successful outcomes of educational programs for family forest owners is limited. Similarly, many federal and state agencies have used stakeholder input to inform natural resource management and policy in a variety of collaborative formats. In Indiana, the Indiana Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee has provided input into private and public forest management in the state since 2010. </p> Using a case-study approach, this dissertation, through mail surveys and interviews, examined the role of the Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner eight-week short course in woodland owner management decisions. Findings suggest that, across behaviors, woodland owner attitudes about and reasons for owning their woodlands were the most consistent predictors of the level of influence the course had on participants. Enrollment in the Indiana Classified Forest and Wildlands Program and likelihood of attending future educational programs were also positively associated with course influence for some behaviors while contact with the instructor after the course and owning woods for privacy had negative associations. The course played a role in different stages of the decision-making process of woodland owners to harvest timber, control invasive plants, create a written management plan, and use the services of a professional forester. Compatibility and relative advantage of a practice were important factors in adoption decisions. I also interviewed members of the Indiana Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee to investigate its perceived value to members and how they view its contributions to forest management in the state. Overall, members generally held a positive perspective of its value<a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a> and thought the committee benefited Indiana’s forests although there was limited evidence to support this viewpoint. The committee followed some recommended collaborative approaches, but fell short on others. Findings inform several recommendations that could benefit the committee and its role in the future.