This study explored the effectiveness of a Willingness to Communicate (WTC) scale with advanced foreign language (L2) learners. The WTC instrument included sections on communicating with native speakers of the L2 and peer language learners in various settings (at home, abroad, in-class and online). As most prior research had focused on beginning language learners, for this study, we recruited participants who began to learn their respective languages in informal, long-term immersion settings. Participants took the WTC survey as part of a larger self-assessment instrument with a subset of 600 intermediate and advanced level Spanish (n = 339), Portuguese (n = 155), and French (n = 106) L2 students taking an Oral Proficiency Interview (computerized). The instrument was found to be reliable (Cronbach α = .88), and there was a significant difference [t (5) = 2.97, p = .031] in WTC between sections for online and in-class settings. However, the WTC had no significant relationship (Pearson's r2 = .0005) with OPIc score. Thus, while WTC might help beginning learners reach advanced level language, it might not discriminate among learners who are already advanced.

Over the years, last-minute cancellations and no-shows have presented difficulties for the hospitality sector, negatively affecting hotel operations and revenue. The cancellation policies of hotels have changed significantly as a result. These rules have been modified to act as "price fences" as a result of revenue management strategies used in the hotel industry. This study aims to find out how various cancellation policies impact consumers' perceptions of risk and intent to reserve hotel rooms at various times. The study provides insight into the factors that affect consumer behavior and choices for hospitality goods and services by examining these elements. The results of the study offer some understanding into how hotels and other hospitality businesses can use cancellation policies to customize their marketing strategies to meet consumer needs and preferences while successfully managing revenue and profitability.

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Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the second language (L2) is the "readiness to enter into discourse" which is considered to be the direct precursor of students' communication in L2 (MacIntyre et al., 1998). Oral language is thought to precede written language which creates an assumption that ongoing refining of oral skills may impact writing fluency. In respect to WTC model, there have been several versions that describe the construct (MacIntyre et al., 1998; Wen & Clement, 2003; Matsuoka, 2006). This study references self-efficacy, a cognitive variable in Matsuoka's (2006) proposed model, when analyzing writing as a phenomenon in relation to WTC. Two sequential writing samples collected from 12 international students are closely examined for key themes, which are informed by the responses to the WTC and Language History questionnaire. The results show a moderate correlation (rs=.646) between self-efficacy and willingness to communicate among the surveyed participants as well as a moderate correlation between the error frequencies and WTC scores (rs=.536).

Bottomland hardwood forests and pine forests in the southern United States provide valuable ecosystem services such as timber, recreation, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, floodwater storage, and sediment and nutrient retention. However, these forest ecosystems are threatened because of intensive forest management, forest land conversion, and urbanization. As private landownership dominates in this region, landowner participation is crucial for success of conservation programs facilitating ecosystem services. This research focused on three different aspects of private land conservation programs. First, it estimated the impact of environmental contextual factors, private land attributes and sociodemographic characteristics on landowner concern about environmental issues. Second, it determined the influence of private land attributes, environmental concerns, frequency of contacts with federal agencies and socioeconomic characteristics on landowner satisfaction with available conservation programs. Third, it estimated the monetary compensation required by landowners to implement conservation practices focused on increasing provision of ecosystem services. Data were collected using a mail survey and from online sources. Data were analyzed using seemingly unrelated regression and logistic regression models. Results indicated that private land attributes, particularly size of agricultural land owned, and landownership goals such as providing ecosystem services and profitability, had a greater magnitude of positive association with landowner concerns about environmental issues than other factors. Similarly, size of agricultural land owned, landownership goals such as profitability and personal recreation, concerns about wildlife habitat losses and frequent contacts with federal agencies were positively related to landowner satisfaction with conservation programs. Landowner willingness to participate in a conservation program was positively related to payment amount, concerns about wildlife habitat losses, frequency of contact with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and education level. Similarly, provision of clean water as landownership objective, concerns about hurricanes and tornadoes, and landowner age were negatively associated with landowner interests to participate in conservation programs. This research also quantified landowner median willingness to accept (WTA) compensation which was $229.98 ha-1 yr-1 for participation in a conservation program related to bottomland hardwood or pine forests. The findings help identify likely participants or landowners for conservation programs facilitating ecosystem services and determine actual conservation costs at a regional level.

This research focuses on estimating the shift in consumer willingness to pay (WTP) a price premium/discount for Native warm season grassed beef and for Bermuda grassed beef, an exotic species to the U.S. We utilized sensory analysis and the Becker-Degroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism to elicit consumers’ preference for four different types of beef to determine how the premiums/discounts consumers place on these differentiated products change across information regimes: perception, experience, and complete information. Subjects participated in the BDM mechanism three times to determine their WTP: once after observing the raw packaged product with standard labeling information, once after a blind taste sample of the products, and once after complete information has been provided that links the raw packaged product to the blind taste sample. Results revealed strong preferences for NWSGed beef regardless of finishing methods, and positive impacts of the sensory results and label information on grassinished beef steaks.

Different management regimes consisting of range of site indices and planting densities were simulated to evaluate price premiums required for growing high-quality southern pines across the southern United States. Optimal management regimes were identified maximizing the land expectation value. Growing high-quality pines on longer rotations are economically feasible, however, forest landowners need premiums which ranged from $1.40/ton to $9.81/ton for 10-year rotation extension and increased significantly with rotation ages. In uneven-aged management, price premiums for 5-year cutting cycle extension ranged from $1.75/ton to $2.25/ton. Additionally, sawmill’s willingness-to-pay price premiums for high-quality pine sawtimber were calculated using a mail survey. Sawmills showed a considerable interest in paying price premiums which ranged from $4.22/ton to $12.98/ton. Factors affecting mean WTP price premiums were sawlog size, procurement radius, grade, mill’s capacity, and employees. These findings will help landowners in deciding whether to extend rotation ages of their forest for growing higher quality pines.

The objectives of this research were to use trained sensory panels to identify key sensory profiling characteristics of freshwater prawns, develop and test price elicitation methods using the trained panels and gather freshwater prawn pricing information. Prawns were procured through a reputable producer and delivered to the Department of Food Science, Nutrition & Health Promotion at Mississippi State University. A trained sensory panel was utilized to develop descriptive terms to express key attributes of freshwater prawns. Trained panelists evaluated both raw and cooked product forms for 40 and 83 attributes, respectively. At the end of the sensory evaluation of the products, trained panelists also completed a willingness-to-pay ballot. Results determined sensory attributes for both raw and cooked prawns and the value of the raw product form.

No description available.

No description available.