Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2009. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

published_or_final_version / Dental Surgery / Master / Master of Dental Surgery

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

To make informed buying decisions, online consumers increasingly turn to online product review systems, or electronic word-of-mouth systems (EWOMSs). Previous studies suggest that EWOMS designs can determine consumer behavior. Even some tiny changes, such as background color or picture, can greatly affect consumers’ buying behavior. Hence, it is critical to investigate how designs of EWOMS influence online consumers’ buying behavior. This research develops a theoretical model of the effects of EWOMS designs on consumer purchase behavior. We conducted a study using experiments to test and validate the proposed theoretical model. Our findings indicate that online purchase behavior within EWOMSs can be enhanced by three conditions. First, perceived value should be enhanced by a design that ensures that the first review encountered by consumers is positive. Second, confidence in judgment about value should be increased by displaying the most helpful reviews first. Last, consumers’ emotional states should be enhanced by using a design that facilitates the processing of reviews. Such a design could further positively impact consumers’ confidence. This research not only enhances our understanding of the effects of EWOMS designs but it also contributes to consumer behavior research by studying the effects of confidence in judgment about value. In addition, this research makes important contributions to ecommerce companies, online consumers, and policy makers. / published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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To aid in resolving some of the ambiguity in the literature about the impact of different forms of WOM on brand performance, this dissertation investigates how WOM influences three consumer responses to WOM: purchase, WOM retransmission, and additional information search. The author investigates these questions by analyzing a database comprising more than three years of detailed WOM data from a unique, nationally representative panel merged with other secondary sources that provide various measures of brand strength (the American Consumer Satisfaction Index and Harris Interactive’s Equitrend). Using a series of hierarchical regression models, the results from this study reveal numerous insights into the contextual factors that moderate the impact of a WOM episode. For example, negative WOM about a brand has a larger absolute effect on consumer purchase intentions than positive WOM, but positive WOM has a larger positive effect on WOM retransmission than the positive effect of negative WOM. Offline WOM tends to exacerbate the effect of positive and negative brand sentiment on purchase intentions. WOM between stronger social ties tends to have greater impact on brand-related responses than WOM between weak ties, except in the case of motivating additional information search. The results also indicate that strong brands (those with higher levels of brand equity) tend to reap greater benefits from WOM. For example, negative, mixed, or neutral WOM has greater influence on purchase, and WOM from weak social ties about strong brands motivates higher levels of information search than when WOM from weak ties is about weaker brands.

published_or_final_version / Surgery / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

To aid in resolving some of the ambiguity in the literature about the impact of different forms of WOM on brand performance, this dissertation investigates how WOM influences three consumer responses to WOM: purchase, WOM retransmission, and additional information search. The author investigates these questions by analyzing a database comprising more than three years of detailed WOM data from a unique, nationally representative panel merged with other secondary sources that provide various measures of brand strength (the American Consumer Satisfaction Index and Harris Interactive’s Equitrend). Using a series of hierarchical regression models, the results from this study reveal numerous insights into the contextual factors that moderate the impact of a WOM episode. For example, negative WOM about a brand has a larger absolute effect on consumer purchase intentions than positive WOM, but positive WOM has a larger positive effect on WOM retransmission than the positive effect of negative WOM. Offline WOM tends to exacerbate the effect of positive and negative brand sentiment on purchase intentions. WOM between stronger social ties tends to have greater impact on brand-related responses than WOM between weak ties, except in the case of motivating additional information search. The results also indicate that strong brands (those with higher levels of brand equity) tend to reap greater benefits from WOM. For example, negative, mixed, or neutral WOM has greater influence on purchase, and WOM from weak social ties about strong brands motivates higher levels of information search than when WOM from weak ties is about weaker brands.

Hapua are complex and dynamic systems, and are especially vulnerable due of their location at the end of river catchments. The Hurunui River hapua is currently under pressure from the intensification of irrigation and agriculture, and a number of dam proposals in its catchment. The purpose of this research was to investigate the current conditions in the Hurunui River hapua, how they respond to the observed range of contemporary catchment and coastal processes, and to examine of the longer-term behaviour and vulnerability of the hapua. This information was then used to make predictions on how the hapua could be impacted if dams were to be built in the catchment, or if significant changes in the catchment occur. A multidisciplinary approach was used to investigate the short-term baseline conditions, and the long-term geomorphology of the Hurunui River hapua. Water characteristics were investigated over a falling tide, in different areas of the hapua, and in different energy conditions. The short-term behaviour of the hapua was investigated using hourly images from a time-lapse camera. The long-term vulnerability over decadal time scales was analysed using aerial photographs. This study showed that the flow of the river, the shape of the hapua, and the position of the outlet has a major control over the characteristics of the water. The surface area, the position of the barrier, and the width of the barrier of the Hurunui River hapua have been variable historically. From this research, it is predicted that the greatest impact on the Hurunui hapua would result if there is a dam related change the shape and outlet of the hapua to a state that reduces water residence time and decreases water quality. It is also predicted that if the outlet is maintained at the northern end of the hapua, and no ponded areas are present, that there would be the least problems with water quality. The findings of this research have improved the understanding of the water characteristics and processes of the Hurunui River hapua, and how they respond to change.