Master of Science / School of Journalism and Mass Communications / Nancy Muturi / This study was an examination of the determinants of disordered eating development among female collegiate distance runners. More specifically, the study examined the impact of thinness-emphasizing and thinness-promoting messages disseminated by mass media and running-specific media, and how those messages affected disordered eating among a sample of female collegiate distance runners. It also examines current female collegiate distance runners’ attitudes toward disordered eating, subjective norms from referent individuals close to female collegiate distance runners regarding disordered eating, and female collegiate distance runners’ perceived behavioral control regarding disordered eating—which was divided into various internal and external control factors either inhibiting or facilitating disordered eating among them. The study was qualitative in nature and assumed a multi-method approach. It included an online, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire among 166 current NCAA Division I female distance runners; four small, confidential focus groups with current NCAA Division I female distance runners from four different teams; and 16 in-depth interviews with professional distance runners, dietitians, coaches, physicians, and sports psychologists. The study sought to answer four research questions—each based on an element of the study’s guiding theory, the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Overall, the study found media messages, attitudes, subjective norms, and various internal and external control factors all facilitated disordered eating among NCAA Division I female distance runners. Based upon these findings, the study offers recommendations for practitioners in the field of health communication, coaches, academic institutions with cross country and track teams, and female collegiate distance runners.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology allows for the scanning of RFID-tagged objects and individuals without line-of-sight requirements. Healthcare organizations use RFID to ensure the health and safety of patients and medical personnel and to uncover inefficiencies in operations. The successful implementation of a system incorporating RFID technologies requires acceptance and use of the technology. Nurses are a group of employees who must use RFID in hospitals throughout the United States. However, due to their being tracked by RFID technology, some of these nurses feel like "big brother" is watching them. This predictive study used a theoretical model that assessed the effect of five independent variables, namely, privacy concerns, attitudes, subjective norms, controllability, and self-efficacy, on a dependent variable, nurses' behavioral intention to use RFID. A total of 106 U.S. registered nurses answered a Web-based questionnaire containing previously validated and adapted questions that were answered through a five-point Likert scale. Two statistical methods, linear regression and multiple linear regression, were used to investigate the survey results. The results of the linear regression analysis showed that privacy concerns, attitudes, subjective norms, and self-efficacy were each a significant predictor of nurses' behavioral intention to use RFID. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that all the constructs together accounted for 60% of the variance in nurses' intention to use RFID. Of the five predictors in the model, attitudes provided the largest unique contribution when the other predictors in the model were held constant. Subject norms also provided a unique contribution. The other predictors in the model (privacy concerns, controllability, and self-efficacy) were not statistically significant and did not provide a significant unique contribution to nurses' behavioral intention to use RFID. The outcomes of this study constitute a significant original contribution to the body of knowledge in the area of information systems by enhancing understanding of the factors affecting RFID acceptance among nurses. The results of this research also provide hospitals and medical centers that require their nurses to use RFID technology with information that they can use to address barriers to their nurses' acceptance and use of RFID technology.

Många företag klarar sig inte i dagsläget utan någon form av IT-stöd. Stora mängder informat-ion används och lagras i organisationers dagliga arbete. Viss information behöver skyddas från obehörig tillgång eller användning. Ett av de största hoten mot organisationers information som lätt förbises är dess egna anställda. Anställda i en organisation arbetar dagligen med information och är i mest kontakt med den. Något som uppmärksammats av MSB och andra tredje parter som undersökt svenska kommuners säkerhet är att det har visat sig att den är, om något, under-målig. En informationssäkerhetspolicy är en form av styrdokument som används för att an-ställda ska veta vad som förväntas av dem och hur dem ska skydda informationen. För att en informationssäkerhetspolicy ska vara effektiv så måste de anställda inom organisationen efter-leva den. Uppsatsen består av en undersökning av hur efterlevnaden av informationssäkerhets-policyn ser ut på en kommunal verksamhet. Utifrån theory of planned behavior undersökte vi hur attityd till beteendet, subjektiv norm och upplevd kontroll av det egna beteendet påverkar en individs intention att utföra ett visst beteende. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och doku-mentanalys drogs slutsatserna att trots att ingen av respondenterna blivit introducerade till in-formationssäkerhetspolicyn så efterlever de den bra.

The pollution of the oceans through plastics has received global wide media coverageover the last years. Also, micro-plastics in ground water and even in fish had beendetected, which leads to increased awareness of waste-reduction. Since the beginning ofthis decade, more bulk food stores open in Germany’s cities and provide an alternative toconventional, packaged products.Plastics and so-called micro-plastics have been found in the bodies of seabirds and in fish.There is an imminent danger of plastics ending up in the human bodies while it travels upthe food chain.In order to reduce their impact on the environment, an increasing number of customersengages in the zero-waste movement. To reduce single-use plastics, customers can shoptheir groceries in bulk-food stores, which allow shopping loose goods from largecontainers in contrast to individually packed items in regular supermarkets. Customerscan bring their own reusable packaging to buy mostly dry foods such as vegetables, pasta,nuts, grains but also some liquids such as oil, honey etc. The stores often also include anon-food section where additional consumable products can be bought.The paper identified a research gap in regards the store concept of bulk-stores which isan emerging trend in Germany since 2014.This thesis analyzes the motivators of bulk-food store shoppers in Germany based on anadapted version of the Theory of Planned Behavior by Izek Ajzen. The frameworkthereby builds upon research conducted by Maloney et al. (2014) who tested motivatorsof organic clothing customers.The research identified a significant positive influence of the Personal Norm and asignificant negative correlation between Perceived Expensiveness on the PurchaseIntention of the customers.The main barriers for bulk food shoppers were identified as the distance to the next store,the product portfolio and perceived high prices. Other issues have been discovered butwere – in comparison –only of secondary relevance.The paper contributes to closing the gap in literature between bulk foods and othersustainability-related topics, such as organic products and their production. Furthermore,it provides a foundation for future research on the topic.

This study examined the TPB constructs of attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms and their ability to predict healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among adolescents living in Southern Appalachia. The study also considered the relative utility of subjective norms and social support in predicting these behaviors. Data for this research were derived from a larger study, Team Up for Healthy Living, conducted September 2011 through November 2014 with high school students in the Appalachian region (Study ID: R01MD006200 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities). Participants (n=963) completed a three-part paper survey collecting data about eating habits, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, weight status, and demographics. Study results indicated more than half of the study population was classified as overweight (20.7%) or obese (31.4%). They had high rates of physical activity, low rates of sedentary behavior, and healthy dietary behaviors, compared to national norms. Approximately, 42.8% reported drinking at least one soda daily and 42.9% consumed 1-6 sodas over the course of seven days. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated attitude (Beta = .110, t (824) = 2.83, p < .005) and perceived behavioral control (Beta = .147, t (824) = 3.14, p < .001) were the strongest predictors of healthy eating behaviors. For physical activity, the strongest predictors of behavior were attitude (Beta = .186, t (839) = 5.21, p < .001) and social support (Beta = .347, t (839) = 9.09, p < .001). Comparison of subjective norms and social support revealed subjective norms were a better predictor of healthy eating behaviors, and social support was a better predictor of physical activity. The results of this study indicate that behavior theories are effective at identifying motivating factors for health behaviors in unique populations.

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective form of contraception that is 75%-89% effective in preventing pregnancies within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception is a type of hormonal contraception, containing high doses of estrogen and progestin (ethinyl estradiol plus levonorgestrel) or progestin only (levonorgestrel). Wider access to emergency contraception has the potential to decrease the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously denied any over-the-counter (OTC) access to emergency contraception and only recently approved it for OTC status for women 18 years old and over; therefore, pharmacists continue to play a critical role in providing access to emergency contraception. For example, pharmacists can answer women's questions, dispel misconceptions, advise medical colleagues, and provide important information about the medication to clients. Although emergency contraception is a safe and effective medication, many pharmacists and pharmacies throughout the U.S. have either refused to fill prescriptions of emergency contraception or have refused to carry and stock emergency contraception. Pharmacists' perceptions and practice affect whether women have access to this form of contraception and whether pharmacies carry this medication. In addition, pharmacists' behavior, professional conduct, and ethical practice and training have major implications for public health and access to care for women, children, and families. This study has two purposes: First, because the attitudes and dispensing practices among pharmacists may be related to their understanding of the medication, a review of pharmacy school curricula in the U.S. was conducted, and involved (a) an assessment of course content related to emergency contraception and (b) an analysis of how this content is perceived by pharmacy students. The second purpose of the study is to assess emergency contraception knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and dispensing practices of pharmacists and to determine if pharmacists' emergency contraception knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are predictive of their dispensing practices. To reach these ends, a mixed-methods study design was employed using mixed methods data analysis techniques including coding methods, univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression.

Qualified and capable working age autistics face an 83% unemployment rate, thus, straining the economy and deteriorating their quality of life. This research examines potential contributing factors by inquiring what hiring agents' beliefs may be influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates. This quantitatively weighted, concurrent, mixed methods (QUAN > qual), multiple linear regression study measured the influence of hiring agents' control, normative, and behavioral beliefs upon their selection of qualified autistic candidates. Through the theoretical lens of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, conceptually crystallized with other validated theories; a representative, simple, random probability sample of hiring agents throughout the contiguous United States (n = 212) participated in this study. This model statistically significantly identified hiring agents' beliefs influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates to fill open positions (F(45, 73) = 36.067, p < .001, adj. R2 = .930). The inclusion of autistics in organizational diversity policies and practices (B = 0.266), overcoming dependability stereotypes (B = 0.195), and the fear of embarrassment (B = 0.187) were the most significant (p < .001) quantitative influencers. Participants (30%) qualitatively conveyed a desire for comprehensive autistic education. Future study should explore public policy aimed at organizational education relative to qualified autistic candidates. This increased scientific understanding could help develop expanded public policy leading to decreased unemployment rates for autistics, increased organizational performance for all business types, and improved socioeconomic stability across the nation resulting from increased economic contributions and decreased social service expenditures.

Human activities worldwide have altered nature in ways that create new combinations of species and environmental processes. To understand so-called "novel ecosystems" it is important to consider both the natural and the societal factors that shape them, and how those factors are interconnected or "coupled." We used such an approach to explore options for managing a non-native invasive frog, the coqui, which has become established on the island of Hawaii and threatens to spread to other parts of the state. The nighttime calls of the coqui create a nuisance for property owners when populations become dense enough, as often occurs in Hawaii where the frogs have no natural enemies. Humans have tried various ways to eliminate coqui on the island of Hawaii with little success. Therefore we studied how property owners cope with their presence, both through management practices and psychological coping strategies. We also examined results of those efforts. People whose properties had more frogs were more likely to take action to reduce their numbers, but also attitudes toward the coqui were less negative when people had grown used to having to share their properties with the frogs. For those who cannot cope psychologically, we found it would be possible to manage properties to reduce densities but only when leaf litter and low shrubs were completely removed from near a home. Information campaigns about managing coqui should be different when targeting people that already host frogs and those that do not.

This research explores the relationship between intention and actual usage of self-service technology (SST), and investigates the effects of facilitating conditions and customer readiness on customer adoption of SST. In recent years, self-service technologies have created many new service contents; nevertheless, the actual utilization is not actually common yet. Therefore, this research try to explore the relationship between customer readiness and facilitating conditions on the actual use of SST, then focus on narrowing the gap between intention to use SST and actual usage of SST. We believe that this understanding is imperative for service providers to make proactive strategies for fostering customers’ intention and actual usage of the SST. The framework makes it possible to understand and predict customer trial related to using self-service technology by thoroughly examining underlying customer readiness degree and use the internet to illustrate how our framework can be applied to study customer behavior related to a specific self-service technology. To analyze the longitudinal effect, a two-stage survey was conducted and lasted for seven months. As it is well known that behavior intention does not necessary lead to actual behavior, our findings offer proactive strategies to service providers in turning intention into actual usage. Implications are discussed for managerial strategy as well as for future research. The research can be referred as marketing strategy for self-service or kiosk industry, and on academic contribution of narrowing the gap between intention and actual use. It is expected that it is helpful to facilitate self-service development and to enrich customer experience and competitiveness in Taiwan.

Alltmedan antalet konsumenter ökar som uppger att de vill köpa etiskt märkta varor, uppvisar resultat från ett flertal studier ett gap mellan konsumenters attityd och beteende i fråga om etiska köp. Åtskilliga försök har gjorts till att förklara ”gapet” mellan attityd och beteende men i flera fall har en förenklad bild av relationen mellan dessa tillämpats.Frågan är därför om ”gapet” skulle återfinnas om hänsyn tas till de beteendevetenskapliga teorier som ligger till grund för detta gap. I denna studie undersöks om attityden mot köp av etiskt märkta varor är bättre på att förutsäga individens köpbeteende än attityden mot etiskt märkta varor i allmänhet. Detta syfte undersöktes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio konsumenter. Slutsatserna av denna analys visar att ett gap kan skönjas mellan konsumenters attityd mot märkningarna i allmänhet och konsumtion av märkta varor. Det visade sig att attityden mot köp av etiskt märkta varor var bättre på att förutsäga beteendet då hänsyn tas till varans samtliga attribut som väger in i köpbeslutet. Dessutom framkom att personer i respondenternas omgivning i många fall påverkade deras köp.