Browsing by Author "Sirgy, M. Joseph"

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    Clothing style preference of working women related to self- image/clothing-image congruity and public self-consciousness
    Park, Jae Ok (Virginia Tech, 1990)
    The purpose of the study was to extend knowledge concerning the influence of self-image congruity and public self-consciousness on clothing behavior from the symbolic consumption perspective. Thus, relationships among the three major constructs, public self-consciousness (PSC), self-image/clothing-image congruity (actual self-congruity, ASC and ideal social-congruity, ISSC) and clothing-style preference (CSP), were examined. The five objectives that guided the study were to discover whether 1) a specific CSP is related to ASC or ISSC; 2) differences in respondents' CSPs among four different clothing styles exist; 3) individual differences in PSC are related to CSPs; 4) individual differences in PSC result in differences in ASC or ISSC; and 5) the Direct Method of measuring ASC or ISSC is more predictive of CSP than the Indirect Method. A 7-point Likert Scale was utilized to elicit responses to the four line drawn clothing-styles depicting the dramatic, sporty, feminine, and classic image. The actual- and ideal social-self were the two referential images of the self. Data were obtained via a mailed self-administered questionnaire from 229 working women who were faculty (75) and staff (154) members of two universities. The instrument includes the two Self-image/Clothing image Congruity Measures, Indirect and Direct Measures, the ClothingStyle Preference Measure, Public Self-consciousness Measure, and Demographic Information. T-tests and Pearson correlations confirmed that working women's clothing style preferences are related to their ASC or ISSC states. One-Way Within Analysis-of-Variance showed that certain clothing styles were considered more socially appropriate than others, and they are, in order of preference, sporty, classic, feminine and then dramatic. Significant and positive relationships were also found between the PSC and Ase (and ISSC) state with the outfits considered to be socially appropriate (sporty and classic), but only by the Direct Method (t-tests and Pearson correlations). Comparing the two methods in predicting the hypothesized relationships, the Direct Method performed better than the Indirect Method. Interpretations of the data were made from the perspective of self-image/product-image congruity theory and self-consciousness theory. Overall results provide further empirical support to the self-image congruity theory.
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    A Comparative Analysis of the Travel Behavior of Black and White Travelers
    Gailliard, Flora Montgomery (Virginia Tech, 1998-07-16)
    Tourism, leisure and recreation are considered to be an important form of interaction between cultures and are a basic part of social life (McMillen,1984; Hutchinson and Fidel,1985). The experiences received by participating in various tourism activities may be different due to racial influences. Although in general terms, travelers may have similarities, the ethnic heritage, social and cultural differences between different racial groups produce distinct patterns of leisure travel and recreational behavior. Demographic factors such as age, education, race, gender and income, occupation and residence may all be related to each other and determine the buying power of the consumer which thus influences travel behavior. African Americans represent more than $400 billion in purchasing power while comprising slightly over 12.5% of the U.S. population (Whigham-Desir,1996). As the largest non-white group in the U.S., African Americans continue to grow into a substantial force in the marketplace. More specifically, Blacks consume a diverse range of products and services. The results of a "Target Market News-The Buying Power of Black America" survey (1996) showed that blacks spent $1.8 billion dollars on entertainment and leisure and $4.2 billion in travel and lodging. According to Mroun and Whigham-Desir (1997), Blacks have an estimated $25 billion in travel spending power and as a result, are gaining the attention of the $440 billion U.S. travel industry. Research investigating the social conditions of marginality (lower income status, lower educational level, lower occupational status and segregated residence) in influencing travel behavior is sparse to none. Little focus has been placed on this relationship and how it affects travel behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not differences exist between black and white travelers with respect to travel behavior. More specifically, this study investigated whether the marginality predictors, income, education, occupation and residence contributed to differences between black and white travelers in the type of trips selected, length of stay and activities participated in during leisure travel, and whether these differences (if any) persist when controlled for race.The data were collected through telephone interviews with members of a sample of residents in the six southeastern states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Only those respondents who reported taking a leisure trip at least two nights away from home during the past year and those respondents who identified themselves as black or white were considered to participate in this study. A total of 500 surveys were completed of whom 225(45%) were black and 275 (55%) were white. Data were analyzed by involving three types of data analysis. Significant differences between the samples were identified using chi-square or difference of means tests. The effects of culture and of selected variables were assessed through log-linear modeling and analysis of variance. All of the hypotheses for this study were tested and partially confirmed. While important similarities existed among black and white travelers, findings of the study suggested that blacks and whites do significantly differ in terms of length of stay and income and occupation; type of trip and income, occupation and residence; activities and income, education, occupation and residence; and race and type of trip and race and activities. Tests of the effects of race as opposed to marginality predictors upon travel variables identified race as a predictor of leisure travel and the socio-economic covariates as significant predictors in some instances. Findings of the research suggest implications associated with the developing of effective marketing strategies targeted to the African American population and their estimated $25 billion in travel spending power.
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    Consumer Choice of Hotel Experiences: The Effects of Cognitive, Affective, and Sensory Attributes
    Kim, Dohee (Virginia Tech, 2011-07-06)
    Understanding the choice behavior of customers is crucial for effective service management and marketing in the hospitality industry. The first purpose of this dissertation is to examine the differential effects that cognitive, affective, and sensory attributes have on consumer hotel choice. The second purpose is to examine the moderating effects of consumer choice context on the relationship between the cognitive, affective, and sensory attributes and hotel choice. To achieve these two purposes, this dissertation includes the design of a choice experiment to examine how cognitive, affective, and sensory attributes predict consumer hotel choice using multinomial logit (MNL) and random parameter (or mixed) logit (RPL) models. For choice experiments, the main objectives are to determine the choice attributes and attribute levels to be used for the choice modeling and to create an optimal choice design. I used a Bayesian D-optimal design for the choice experiment, which I assess from the DOE (design of experiment) procedure outlined in JMP 8.0. The primary analysis associated with discrete choice analysis is the log-likelihood ratio (LR) test and the estimation of the parameters (known as part-worth utilities), using LIMDEP 9.0. The results showed that the addition of affective and sensory attributes to the choice model better explained hotel choice compared to the model with only cognitive attributes. The second purpose is to examine the moderating effects of choice context on the relationship between cognitive, affective, and sensory attributes and hotel choice. Using a stated choice model, respondents were randomly divided into two different groups and asked to evaluate their preference for two differently manipulated choice sets. For this purpose, it is necessary to include interaction effects in the choice model. This study identified the differences among choice criteria based on two different contexts. Among eight interaction effects, four interaction effects with the contexts -- price, comfortable, room quality, and atmosphere -- were statistically significant on hotel choice. The findings provide hotel managers with important insights and implications in terms of target segmentation, product development, and marketing communication strategy.
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    Consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction in tourism as related to destination image perception
    Chon, Kye-Sung (Virginia Tech, 1990-12-06)
    The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between travel destination image and the tourist satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Using the evaluative congruity theory framework, this study focused on the role of destination images in tourism with regard to consumer satisfaction/ dissatisfaction (CS/D) from the stand point of: (1) the functional congruency between the tourist's expectations and his/her perceptions of specific utilitarian (functional) attributes of a destination; (2) the value-expressive (symbolic) congruency between the tourist'S self concept and the destination's personality image; and (3) the degree of emotional involvement the traveler associates with travel purchases and its influence on his/her satisfaction/ dissatisfaction. The key findings of this study indicate that CS/D is related to both functional and symbolic congruity. With regard to the relative strength of the functional congruity and the symbolic congruity in explaining CS/D in tourism, the functional congruity was found to explain CS/D better than the symbolic congruity. It was also found that the tourist's emotional involvement in the travel purchase process affects his/her satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the destination.
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    The Copycat Effect: Do social influences allow peer team members' dysfunctional audit behaviors to spread throughout the audit team?
    Wetmiller, Rebecca J. (Virginia Tech, 2019-03-15)
    Staff auditors often rely on team members as a source of information to determine the behaviors that are normal and acceptable. This may be one cause of the prevalence of audit quality reducing dysfunctional audit behaviors (DAB) within the profession. Social influence theory, applied in an auditing context, posits that staff auditors are influenced not only by the preferences of their superiors (i.e., compliance pressure) but also by their peers' DAB (i.e., conformity pressure). Given the importance of the work performed by staff auditors, I conduct an experiment to identify the role that a peer team member's behavior and a superior's preference plays in influencing staff auditors' behavior. I predict, and find, that staff auditors with a peer team member who engages in a DAB are more likely to engage in a DAB. I also predict, and find, that staff auditors with a superior who has a preference toward efficiency are more likely to engage in a DAB. Finally, I predict that a superior's preference toward efficiency will amplify the influence of a peer team member's involvement in a DAB. Interestingly, I find that a superior's preference amplifies the effect of a peer team member's behavior when it is toward efficiency only, not effectiveness, for a face-to-face request from the client, but not for an email request. These results suggest that peer behavior influences the effect of a superior's preference of staff auditors in the intimidating situation of having a face-to-face interaction with the client. This could be because of the cognitive dissonance staff auditors experience when their general understanding of the standards does not align with their peer's behavior. The results of this study provide insights into a potential risk introduced to the audit engagement through audit team dynamics.
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    Creating and Validating a Measure of Customer Equity in Hospitality Businesses: Linking Shareholder Value With Return on Marketing
    Hyun, Sunghyup Sean (Virginia Tech, 2009-07-16)
    Understanding the contribution of marketing to the shareholder value of a company has been a major challenge for marketing research. The purpose of this dissertation was creating and validating an attitudinal measure of customer equity in hospitality businesses, thus providing a link between return on marketing and the shareholder value of a company. The theoretical background of the customer equity construct was examined, and then systematic scale development processes were initiated. The results produced two concise scales: (1) 17 items that represent the six dimensions of customer equity in the restaurant industry and (2) 19 items that represent the six dimensions of customer equity in the hotel industry. Six dimensions of customer equity achieved strong convergent validity, discriminant validity, and internal consistency, indicating unidimensionality of the constructs. To further validate the newly developed scale, criterion validity was checked in correlation with six criterion measures using data collected from 590 hospitality industry consumers. The results demonstrate that customer equity closely reflects the shareholder value of a company. Also, it was found that value equity, brand equity, relationship equity, and service quality are significantly and positively correlated with overall customer equity of a company. In conclusion, customer equity represents the long-term value of a company, and reflects shareholder value of the company, thus providing a link with return on marketing investments. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
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    Destination Attractiveness As A Function Of Supply And Demand Interaction
    Formica, Sandro (Virginia Tech, 2004-09-13)
    The driving force of the tourism industry is represented by the attractions at destination. Travelers have no reason to visit destinations that have nothing to offer. Tourism research has demonstrated that attraction studies are necessary in the understanding of the elements that encourage people to travel. Achieving the goal of measuring destination attractiveness requires the understanding of its components and their relationships. There are two ways of examining attractiveness: by studying the attractions or by exploring the attractiveness perceptions of those who are attracted by them. As competition among tourism destinations increases and tourist funding decreases, it is of vital importance to understand how the inventory of existing attractions at destination relates to the perceptions that travelers have of those attractions. Tourism literature provides only a limited number of studies addressing destination attractiveness. Those studies focus exclusively on the measurement aspect of attractiveness and ignore the analysis of its components. The purpose of this study was to generate a new measurement tool for destination attractiveness and to examine the relationship between its elements. The principles of regional analysis, tourism planning, and tourism attraction research provided the foundation for a measurement and hypothesis testing model. This model is based on the assumption that tourism is a system, which is a function of supply and demand interaction. Four attraction dimensions - tourism services and facilities, cultural/historical, rural lodging, and outdoor recreation - were found to represent the attractiveness portfolio of the destination. According to the findings, no correlations were found between demand and supply importance of the four dimensions. Among demand representatives, market segments perceive and value attractions in different ways. The study explored the attractiveness evaluation of eight tourist regions and discovered correlations between demand and supply indicators. Additionally, it was established that the overall regional measures of demand and supply destination attractiveness explain the economic benefits of tourism in the same region. Among the contributions of this study is the development of a model that allows the simultaneous empirical assessment of demand and supply indicators of destination attractiveness. The findings of this study provided important implications for the development of robust tourism plans, promotional strategies, and resource allocation policies.
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    A Determination of Interpersonal Interaction Expectations in International Buyer-Seller Relationships
    Jones, David L. (Virginia Tech, 2000-03-24)
    Relationship/collaborative selling, as opposed to traditional, transaction oriented selling, stresses the need to form relationships with prospects and customers across all stages of the buyer-seller relationship (Jolson, 1997). The problem is that applying the relationship selling process to all types of customers may lead to inappropriate interpersonal interaction if the customer's orientation is only short-term in nature (Jackson, 1985a, 1985b). Anderson and Narus (1991) make the point that significant variations within industries (i.e., hotel industry) can exist in the buyer's expectation of working relationships with sellers, from a collaborative relationship desire to a transactional (i.e., discrete) relationship. This study developed and empirically tested a model of international buyer-seller relationships in the hospitality industry. The model analyzed several relationships: 1) the relationship between National Culture (Hofstede, 198oa, 1980b & 1997) and the interpersonal interaction "success" variables (i.e., structural bonding, social bonding, communication content, communication style, and trust) in the buyer-seller relationship (Wilson, 1995); 2) the relationship between the "success" variables and the outcomes of the buyer-seller relationship (i.e., relationship commitment and long-term orientation of the buyer); and 3) the relationship between the level of knowledge of the selling strategy used by the salesperson and the buying preferences of the buyer, as perceived by the salesperson. In addition, each of these relationships was examined in terms of the differences that may exist in base of operation of the salesperson (i.e., North America or Asia). The study specifically focused on the hotel industry salesperson and the relationship he or she has with his or her top account. The cross-cultural differences were captured by use of a sample of salespeople that were based either in North America or Asia. The results of this study showed that the relationship/collaborative selling strategy is not necessarily appropriate for all selling situations, but the salesperson may not be knowledgeable enough of his or her customer's preference for interpersonal interaction to be able to identify that fact. It also indicated that different importance is placed on different "success" variables in the buyer-seller relationship in different bases of operation. Specifically, trust is more important in North America than Asia, but it is still an important factor in both selling environments. It was also concluded that social bonding might be overrated in regards to the top account buyer-seller relationship. The conclusion can be made that more emphasis needs to be placed on the building and maintaining of trust than the need to "build a relationship" through social bonding, at least with the top account. The implications of the study can be applied to the improvement of how sales training is taught on a global basis.
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    The development of dispositional measures of self-congruity and functional congruity
    Claiborne, C. B. (Virginia Tech, 1992-08-16)
    This research addresses the question, can dispositional complements to situational self-congruity and situational functional congruity be identified? Self-image congruence research, which establishes a background for the situational impact of image and function-laden information, is reviewed. A theoretical rationale for developing dispositional measures is based on the interactionist paradigm in personality psychology combined with self-congruity theory and Blake and Mouton's orientation to tasks vs. people. It was hypothesized that the dispositional measures of self-congruity and functional congruity would moderate the relationship between situational self-congruity and functional congruity and the adoption of a brand of credit card. Results supporting this hypothesis would provide evidence of the nomological validity of the dispositional measures. A 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial experimental design involving situational self-congruity, situational functional congruity, dispositional self-congruity and dispositional functional congruity was operationalized with ads for the Sierra Club credit card providing image and/or function-laden cues. Manipulation checks in the form of situational evaluations and behavioral measures in the form of credit card adoption were ascertained. Pretests were conducted to generate and refine items for the dispositional scale and to initially assess reliability and validity. Subsequently, a main study was conducted involving 320 students from two universities. The results show that the dispositional measures are highly reliable. Dispositional measures were also shown to have discriminant validity, however, the tests of nomological validity indicated that these measures may not be valid. This study emphasizes the importance of considering the coaction of situational and dispositional factors in understanding behavior. Limitations of the study, future research, and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.
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    The Effects of Co-Creation and Satisfaction on Subjective Well-Being
    Mathis, Elaine Frances (Virginia Tech, 2013-06-05)
    Co-creation is centered on the idea of the consumer as a creator of value, interacting with a company to "co-create" value. As the concept of co-creation gains popularity among many industries, it is receiving increased attention from researchers. Although many topics are being researched with this new topic, one of the essential missing links is what outcomes can be expected from participation in co-creation. By identifying the relationship between co-creation, satisfaction, and subjective well-being, service providers can change strategies and implement a platform for creating unique experiences, allowing tourists to become more physically and emotionally engaged. An online survey using panel data from a commercial firm was used to gather 561 completed questionnaires. Co-creation, satisfaction, level of involvement, and subjective well-being were measured using different scales which have been adapted from previous works which are discussed in the literature review. The analysis consisted of several steps including a profile of respondents based on descriptive statistics, a simple correlation analysis of all the summated variables, and simple correctional analyses which looked at the relationships between co-creation and satisfaction, co-creation and subjective well-being, and satisfaction and subjective well-being. This study contributed to the growing body of knowledge in understanding the perceived value of tourism experiences by establishing a theory based empirical link between co-creation and subjective well-being via satisfaction. This aspect of tourism experiences had not yet before been empirically demonstrated.
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    The Effects of Community Quality of Life on Local Policy Decisions
    Ko, Myeong Chul (Virginia Tech, 2011-08-02)
    There have been extensive debates on the factors that influence local policy decisions. Although many researchers have contributed to uncovering various influences such as political, economic, institutional, and demographic factors on local policy decisions, however, the concept of QoL rarely has used in extant literature. Local government spending is likely to be affected by citizen demands for achieving community well-being. Additionally, given that different policy functions variably affect local circumstances, the impact of QoL on local policy decisions will depend on the policy area. Hence, this study examined the relationship between QoL and local budgetary decisions based on Peterson's (1981) policy scheme of, three distinct policy arenas (developmental, allocational, and redistributive policy). In examining the relationship of QoL and city spending across policy functions, I also considered economic, political, institutional, and demographic factors, derived from various theoretical perspectives on local policy decisions. The relative influences of community QoL as well as other factors on local policy decisions were estimated by two-stage least squares regression analysis (2SLS) for developmental spending and by ordinary least squares (OLS) for allocational and redistributive spending. To measure community QoL, this study used 89,066 completed surveys from 167 communities in the United States for 2002-2008 are used. QoL appeared as a critical factor influencing local government expenditures in the three policy areas. The impact of QoL on local spending in the three areas differed depending on city income levels; city income levels then moderated local policy decisions. These findings suggest that local policy priorities adjusted in accordance with economic growth. Allocational policy functions also should be thought to be functions of cities geared toward giving them a competitive edge over other cities by meeting evolved citizen preferences for city amenities. These findings also point to distinct patterns of political activities in each policy arena. Given that community QoL reflects adjusted citizens' demands, I contend that community QoL can contribute to performance management by providing additional public information and a complementary performance indicator.
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    The Effects of Different Aspects of Tourism Services on Travelers' Quality of Life: Model Validation, Refinement, and Extension
    Neal, Janet Davis (Virginia Tech, 2000-03-30)
    Numerous satisfaction studies have been conducted in both tourism and marketing which have examined various aspects of travelers and/or consumers. Quality of life satisfaction studies look beyond the types of satisfaction experiences that endure for only a short time to those that "spill over" into individuals' life domains thus enhancing their overall life satisfaction. Many research studies in the discipline of marketing have revealed that the overall quality of life of consumers may be affected by the marketing efforts of organizations for all of the marketing mix elements. Although it logically follows that the marketing endeavors of tourism organizations would likely have the same impact on their consumers (i.e., travelers), little research has been done to date to determine the validity of this premise. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of leisure tourism on the traveler's quality of life. A model and measurement instrument which help to explain the role of satisfaction with leisure tourism services and experiences in satisfaction with leisure life and overall life were designed for use in this study. The model was based on the hierarchy of life satisfaction model and speculated that overall life satisfaction is derived from satisfaction with the major life domains (e.g., leisure life). Lasting satisfaction or dissatisfaction experienced within the leisure life domain spills up vertically to the most superordinate domain (life in general), thus affecting the overall life satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the traveler. Both the model and the measurement instrument were validated, refined, and extended in this study. A survey of 815 consumers of travel/tourism services who reside in Southwest Virginia was conducted. Structural Equation Modeling (i.e., LISREL) analysis was performed to test the goodness of fit of the model. The results indicated a good model fit. That is, no revisions to the hypothesized model were needed, thus confirming the belief leisure travel does contribute to travelers' overall quality of life satisfaction. Additional analyses were conducted to test the moderating effects of personality type, length of stay, and type of trip on select relationships in the model. Differences of effects for some of the relationships in the model were identified for length of stay and type of trip, but not for the traveler's personality type. Among the key findings of this work are the establishment of those factors which contribute to the overall life satisfaction of travelers, the validation of a measurement instrument which could be used periodically by industry experts to gauge the "health" of the industry in its contribution to the overall life satisfaction of tourism consumers, and the revelation that the length of stay moderates several of the relationships in the model, thus suggesting differences in the way the various identified components influence the overall life satisfaction of short-term versus long-term visitors.
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    Effects of long-term viewing of television violence on cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses to real life violence
    Stahl, Brian N. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1984)
    Study one was designed to assess the relationship between television violence viewing and expectations of others physical aggression in conflict situations. Four hundred thirty one children, fourth and fifth graders, completed a television frequency survey and a conflict situations hierarchy. It was found that children who normally view a relatively large amount of television violence expected others to be physically aggressive in conflict situations more than children who normally view a relatively small amount of television violence. Study two was designed to assess the relationships between violence viewing, latency to seek help in the presence of real life violence, and physiological responses to real life violence. Thirty nine children who participated in study one, 19 high violence viewers and 20 low violence viewers, were recruited to serve as subjects. Subjects were led to believe that they alone were responsible for monitoring younger children in another room via a camera and television monitor. Subjects viewed a videotape of two children who initially play quietly, but become increasingly hostile, and the film culminated in a physical fight ending with the apparent destruction of the camera. Latency to seek help and heart rate were measured. High violence viewers took reliably longer to seek help in the presence of real life aggression than low violence viewers. However, when the distribution of latency scores was examined, group differences appeared attributable to the performance of a relatively small number of subjects. This study suggests that increasing levels of television violence viewing may be related to increasing latency to seek help in the presence of real life aggression, that the relationship may be modest, and that replication of the procedures is needed before strong conclusions can be made. High violence viewers and low violence viewers did not differ in their heart rate responses to the scene of real life violence. This study suggests that heavy violence viewing may not be associated with physiological desensitization to real life violence. However, further studies employing different indices of physiological arousal is clearly needed before strong conclusions are warranted. Differential research strategies to address these issues were discussed.
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    The effects of managers' cultural distance, ethnocentrism, and quality-of-life (QOL) orientation on program standardization
    Yi, Tong-jin (Virginia Tech, 1996)
    The main purpose of this dissertation is to examine the effect of managerial attitudes on program standardization in international marketing. Three attitudinal variables have been identified as potential predictors of program standardization decisions: managers’ cultural distance, ethnocentrism, and quality-of-life (QOL) orientation. This dissertation empirically examines the effects of these managerial attitude variables on program standardization. It is hypothesized that managers’ ethnocentrism is directly related to program standardization, whereas cultural distance and QOL orientation are inversely related to program standardization. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that both ethnocentrism and QOL orientation are likely to moderate the relationship between cultural distance and program standardization. That is, cultural distance is likely to affect program standardization more for managers who have a high QOL orientation (or low ethnocentrism) than for managers who have a low QOL orientation (or high ethnocentrism). Cross-cultural comparisons of the three attitudinal variables and degree of standardization between U.S. managers and South Korean managers also have been explored. Specifically, it is hypothesized that compared with South Korean managers, U.S. managers are more likely to be characterized by high cultural distance, low ethnocentrism, and a high QOL orientation, and by a low degree of commitment to program standardization. Hypothesis were tested through an experiment using convenience samples of American and Koreans who were enrolled in MBA programs in the United States and South Korea. Results provide moderate support for the hypotheses. Implications are discussed.
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    Effects of Parental Style and Power on Adolescent's Influence in Family Consumption Decisions
    Bao, Yeqing (Virginia Tech, 2001-04-26)
    This dissertation developed a comprehensive model conceptualizing the factors affecting children's choice of influence strategy and relative influence in family consumption decisions. In particular, the model asserted that antecedent variables (i.e., family variables, individual characteristics of children, individual characteristics of parents, and parent-child interdependence) affect both directly and indirectly children's choice of influence strategy and relative influence. Process variables (i.e., family socialization and power structure) mediate the effects of the antecedent variables. In addition, effects of family socialization and power structure on children's choice of influence strategy and subsequent relative influence vary with the product type, decision stage, and subdecision. Finally, children's relative influence is also dependent on their choice of influence strategy. An empirical study was advanced to partially test the model. Specifically, relationships among family socialization, power structure, children's choice of influence strategy, and their relative influence were empirically examined. A field experimental interaction procedure was designed for data collection from parent/child dyads. Multiple regressions were conducted to analyze the data. Results showed moderate support to the hypothesized relationships. However, most links in the testing model presented significant results. It appears that the integration of consumer socialization theory and power relational theory provides better explanation to children's influence behavior than either theory does individually.
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    Effects of Relationship Quality on Customer Perceived Value in Organizational Purchasing
    Gao, Tao Jr. (Virginia Tech, 1998-08-03)
    Research and practitioners alike have underscored the importance of customer value creation in marketing. For any marketing practice to be successful, it must first create value for customers. This is also true for the practice of relationship marketing, which is enjoying popularity among organizational marketers. However, there has been a lack of research done on the predictive effects of relationship marketing constructs in relation to buyer perceived value in organizational marketing. In other words, we still know little about the mechanism through which a good relationship enhances customer perceived value. The primary purpose of this study is to conceptually develop and empirically test a model that explains how the quality of a buyer-supplier relationship affects the buyer's value judgment in an organizational purchasing context. In the study, relationship quality is defined as comprising three different but mutually reinforcing dimensions: mutual trust, mutual commitment, and interdependence. Perceived value is conceptualized as an overall assessment of the utility of an offering based on the benefits and costs of accepting an offering. The conceptual model specifies the several routes through which relationship quality impacts buyer perceived value. First, a good relationship increases relationship benefits and reduces relationship costs, which in turn influences customer value perception - the higher the relationship benefits (and lower relationship costs), the higher the customer perceived value. Second, a good relationship reduces decision-making uncertainty. Lower decision-making uncertainty is hypothesized to increase the effects of perceived purchase episode benefits and perceived purchase episode costs on perceived value. The model was generally confirmed by an empirical test based on data collected from a national sample of purchasing managers in the United States.
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    The effects of tourism impacts upon Quality of Life of residents in the community
    Kim, Kyungmi (Virginia Tech, 2002-11-05)
    This study investigates how tourism affects the quality of life of residents in tourism destinations that vary in the stage of development. The proposed model in this study structurally depicts that satisfaction with life in general derives from the satisfaction with particular life domains. Overall life satisfaction is derived from material well-being, which includes the consumer's sense of well being as it is related to material possessions, community well-being, emotional well-being, and health and safety well-being domains. The model also posits that residents' perception of tourism impacts (economic, social, cultural, and environmental) affects their satisfaction of particular life domains. Lastly, this study investigates that tourism development stages moderate the relationship between residents' perception of tourism impacts and their satisfaction with particular life domains. Accordingly, the study proposed four major hypotheses: (1) residents' perception of tourism impacts affects their QOL in the community, (2) residents' satisfaction with particular life domains is affected by the perception of particular tourism impact dimensions, (3) residents' satisfaction with particular life domains affects residents' life satisfaction in general, and (4) the relationship between residents' perception of tourism impacts and their satisfaction with particulate life domains is moderated by tourism development stages. The sample population consisting of residents residing in Virginia was surveyed. The sample was proportionally stratified on the basis of tourism development stages covering counties and cities in the state. Three hundreds and twenty-one respondents completed the survey. Structural Equation Modeling and Hierarchical Multiple Regression were used to test study hypotheses. The results revealed that the residents' perception of tourism impacts did affect their satisfaction with particular life domains significantly, and their satisfaction with particular life domains influenced their overall life satisfaction. The hypothesized moderating effect of tourism development stages on the relationship between the perception of tourism impacts and the satisfaction with particular life domains was not supported. The results indicated that the relationship between the economic impact of tourism and the satisfaction with material well-being, and the relationship between the social impact of tourism and the satisfaction with community well-being were strongest among residents in communities characterized to be in the maturity stage of tourism development. This finding is consistent with social disruption theory which postulates that boomtown communities initially enter into a period of generalized crisis, resulting from the traditional stress of sudden, dramatic increases in demand for public services and improving community infrastructure (England and Albrecht's (1984). Additionally, residents develop adaptive behaviors that reduce their individual exposure to stressful situations. Through this process, the QOL of residents is expected to initially decline, and then improve as the community and its residents adapt to the new situation (Krannich, Berry & Greider, 1989). However, when a community enters into the decline stage of tourism development, the relationship between the economic impact of tourism and the satisfaction with material well-being, and the relationship between the social impact of tourism and the satisfaction with community well-being may be considered to be the capacity of the destination area to absorb tourists before the host population would feel negative impacts. This is consistent with the theoretical foundation of carrying capacity, suggesting that when tourism reaches its maturity or maximum limit, residents' QOL may start deteriorating. Further, the relationship between the cultural impact of tourism and the satisfaction with emotional well-being, and the relationship between the environmental impact of tourism and the satisfaction with health and safety well-being were strongest in the decline stage of tourism development. Neither the theories of social carrying capacity nor social disruption offered much to explain this result. However, this result is consistent with Butler's (1980) argument that in the decline stage, more tourist facilities disappear as the area becomes less attractive to tourists and the viability of existing tourist facilities becomes more available to residents in the destination community. As residents' perception of negative environmental impacts increases, their satisfaction with health and safety well-being decreases in the decline stage of tourism development unless the area as a destination provides rejuvenating or alternative planning options. It has been well established that residents in certain types of tourism communities might perceive a certain type of tourism impact unacceptable, while in other communities, the same impact type may be more acceptable. Thus, the study suggests that the proposed model should be further tested and verified using longitudinal data.
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    Electronic Data Interchange: An Inventory Perspective of Its Economic Viability and Recommendations for Information Technology Driven Implementation
    O'Malley, John Richard Jr. (Virginia Tech, 2000-01-28)
    Electronic commerce (EC) in its various forms is perceived by many organizations as the way that business will be conducted in the future. Much of the current wave of interest in EC is driven by new, readily available technologies like the Internet and the World Wide Web. The excitement regarding Web Commerce has lead many to believe that EC is relatively new. In reality, EC in the form of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has existed for 30 years and accounts for far more business than WC. It is the preferred, and often required, way of doing business with many large organizations such as the U.S. Federal Government, Ford, General Motors, and Wal-Mart. While EDI has existed for 30 years, it has not experienced the rapid adoption rate that Web Commerce has in the last few years. Currently, less than 10 percent of U.S. businesses and less than 5 percent of world businesses utilize EDI. The adoption rates for other recent information technologies, such as the World Wide Web and e-mail, have been much higher in a much smaller time frame which leads to the question of why has diffusion of EDI occurred so slowly compared to other recent information technologies. According to Kalakota and Whinston (1996), it is not due to technology problems with EDI but instead with its benefits. This is in conflict with Emmelhainz (1990) and Sokol (1995) who point out the tremendous benefits to firms that adopt EDI. This dissertation researches the reasons for the low EDI adoption rate based on financial benefits. It then develops an economic model that computes the cost savings which result when an EDI system is implemented. Sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the economic mechanisms of EDI. Based on the model developed here, recommendations are made for changing EDI to increase its market penetration. Finally, based on the recommendations an alternative EDI system, JEEDI, is developed. The financial effectiveness of the JEEDI system over existing EDI systems is then demonstrated using the economic model developed here.
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    An Empirical Examination of Boundary Conditions of Relational Exchange
    Grzeskowiak, Stephan (Virginia Tech, 2006-03-31)
    Current marketing channel literature overwhelmingly suggests that entering exchange relationships leads to positive outcomes for the exchange parties. Yet, not all exchanges employ relational exchange. Thus, research appears to lack an understanding of the boundary conditions of successful relational exchange. This dissertation contributes to filling this gap by clarifying what is understood as relational exchange and differentiating it from vertical integration. Here, a two-dimensional perspective on exchange structure is offered that integrates our view of relational exchange and extends the conceptualization of vertical integration beyond sole ownership. To derive boundary conditions of relational exchange the literature on interorganizational relationships is integrated into six determinants and two key outcomes of relational exchange. These boundary conditions thus represent the facilitating circumstances that make relational exchange viable and the outcomes of relational exchange that exchange partners seek to achieve.
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    An Examination of the Influence of Consumer Motivation on Salesperson Appraisal and Emotional Response to Salesperson Behavior
    Mallalieu, Lynnea Anne (Virginia Tech, 2000-04-14)
    This research examines the effects of consumer motivation during an interpersonal sales encounter. The research proposes that a consumer's motivational mind-set affects the consumer's cognitive appraisal of the salesperson and the consumer's subsequent emotional response. Of primary interest is the interaction between a consumer's motivation and a salesperson's behavior. A main thesis of this research is that a congruency mechanism operates between the consumer and the salesperson during a sales encounter. Depending on the consumer's mind-set and the behavioral orientation of the salesperson either a congruent or an incongruent situation will be perceived by the consumer. Based on the congruency mechanism it is proposed that cognitive appraisals concerning goal facilitation will arise that will subsequently trigger specific emotional responses and behavioral outcomes.