FEAR APPEAL AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE OF RETROVIRAL DISTRIBUTING HOSPITALS IN PORT HARCOURT

The study’s goal was to look into the affiliation between fear appeal and client patronage in Port Harcourt’s retro-viral distribution hospitals. The objectives were to investigate the effect between perceived threats and self-control on customer patronage of retro-viral distributing hospitals in Port Harcourt, and mediated with audience perception on fear appeal and customer patronage of retro-viral distributing hospitals in Port Harcourt. The three major government-operated hospitals constitute the population for the study and customers of the above organizations served as the respondents to the research instrument, which was determined using Freund and William (2009). The analysis was carried out through simple percentages and Simple Regression, and the results illustrated that fear appeal adopted by retro-viral distributing hospitals in Port Harcourt to a large extent influences the measure of customer patronage; that is, perceived threat influences buying intent and repeat buying positively; self-control influences buying intent and repeat buying positively, and threat severity influence buying intent and repeat buying positively. It was suggested that Retro-viral distributing hospitals should learn to use messages that relate to the consumer's goals and interests to convince customers to make purchases or even become loyal customers

Effectively offending to sell: consumer response to shocking visual merchandising presentations

2011 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.In recent years, the use of shocking message appeals has become increasingly commonplace in the fashion industry, particularly in the context of print advertising. Sex and violence are two of the specific types of message appeals that are often employed in the creation of shocking advertising or promotions. Despite the increased use of this type of message appeal across all forms of promotion, research into the efficacy of this message appeal has focused primarily on print advertising. Limited research exists on the subject of visual merchandising, in general, and even less exists on store window presentations, in particular, despite the importance of this form of promotion for retailers. For these reasons this study focused on consumers' reactions to the use of shocking message appeals in visual merchandising presentations, specifically store window displays. The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' responses to the use of shocking message appeals in visual merchandising, specifically store window presentations, to promote the sale of apparel. An integrated theoretical framework that draws from the information processing model (McGuire, 1978), the elaboration likelihood model (Petty and Cacioppo, 1983), and the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) informed the development of this study. Together, these models provided a basis for the study of how consumers process information obtained from viewing store window displays, as well as how attitudes toward a retailer may be influenced by window displays and how those attitudes may, in turn, influence consumers' patronage intentions toward a retailer. An intercept survey was employed to collect data for this study. The sample consisted of 246 students from Colorado State University; 111 male participants, and 135 female participants. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and regressions were conducted to analyze the data. Results indicated that gender, clothing involvement, and perception of shock impacted consumers' responses to the use of shocking message appeals in store window presentations, including consumers' elaborative (information) processing and attitudes. Findings revealed that upon viewing the window presentation, women engaged in more information processing than did men, and that men perceived the window presentations to be less shocking than did women. Findings also revealed that participants' perceptions of the level of shock present in the window displays as well as their level of clothing involvement impacted their elaborative processing. Perceptions of the level of shock present in the window displays also impacted attitudes toward the window display and toward the retail store. Further, attitude toward window presentation, attitude toward retail store, and elaborative processing predicted store patronage intentions. The findings from this study provide multiple implications related to the use of shocking message appeals in store window displays for apparel retailers that target young adults. These findings suggest retailers need to be cautious when employing shocking message appeals in their store window display so as to avoid negative repercussions. However, these findings also suggest a slight level of shock can have a positive impact on store patronage intentions, and in turn, for the retailer

Analyzing The Effects Of Product Label Messages On Consumers Attitudes And Intentions

Customer attitudes toward products are affected by both cognitive and emotional constructs to different degrees. The purpose of this study is to investigate how customers’ perception of the content of product labels affects the attitudes toward the product and the labels’ intentions. In particular, this study considers how the cognitive and emotional aspects of awareness levels of message contents impact overall attitudes toward sugar-free beverages. This study explores how such impacts are balanced by the consideration of double-edged health-related concerns. By divining customers’ perceptions of the products, the study examines i) the effects of cognitive and emotional constructs to the overall attitudes and; ii) the effects of cognitive and emotional constructs to the conative factor. Surveys were conducted and statistical analyses, such as factor, regression, and ANOVA, were applied to investigate the findings. Furthermore, this study examines the implications of managerial and theoretical applications and offers suggestions for businesses

Factors influencing the use of privacy settings in location-based social networks

The growth of location-based social networks (LBSN) such as Facebook and Twitter has been rapid in recent years. In LBSNs, users provide location information on public profiles that potentially can be used in harmful ways. LBSNs have privacy settings that allow users to control the privacy level of their profiles, thus limiting access to location information by other users; but for various reasons users seldom make use of them. Using the protection motivation theory (PMT) as a theoretical lens, this dissertation examines whether users can be encouraged to use LBSN privacy settings through fear appeals. Fear appeals have been used in various studies to arouse fear in users, in order to motivate them to comply to an adaptive behaviour through the threat of impending danger. However, within the context of social networking, it is not yet clear how fear-inducing arguments will ultimately influence the use of privacy settings by users. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of fear appeals on user compliance, with recommendations to enact the use of privacy settings toward the alleviation of privacy threats. Using a survey methodology, 248 social-network users completed an instrument measuring the variables conceptualized by PMT. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the validity and reliability, and to analyze the data. Analysis of the responses show that PMT provides an explanation for the intention to use privacy settings by social-network users. Risk susceptibility, response efficacy, self-efficacy and response cost were found to have a positive impact on the intention to use privacy settings, while sharing benefits and maladaptive behaviours were found to have a negative impact on the intention to use privacy settings. However, risk severity and fear were not found to be significant predictors of the intention to use privacy settings. This study contributes to existing research on PMT in a sense that fear appeal should focus more on coping appraisal, rather than on threat appraisal which is consistent with the results of most studies on protection motivation

Mobile Identity Protection: The Moderation Role of Self-Efficacy

The rapid growth of mobile applications and the associated increased dependency on digital identity raises the growing risk of identity theft and related fraud. Hence, protecting identity in a mobile environment is a problem. This study develops a model that examines the role of identity protection self-efficacy in increasing users’ motivation intentions to achieve actual mobile identity protection. Our research found that self-efficacy significantly affects the relationship between users’ perceived threat appraisal and their motivational intentions for identity protection. The relation between mobile users’ protection, motivational intentions, and actual mobile identity protection actions was also found to be significant. Additionally, the findings revealed the considerable impact of awareness in fully mediating between self-efficacy and actual identity protection. The model and its hypotheses are empirically tested through a survey of 383 mobile users, and the findings are validated through a panel of experts, thus confirming the impact of self-efficacy on an individual’s identity protection in the mobile context

Strategies for Implementing Advertisements in the Green Industry

After a growth in sales of 30% from 2007 to 2010, green product market sales declined 2% from 2010 to 2014 in the United States. Business leaders need to incorporate sustainable business practices and use green messaging within advertisements and marketing campaigns to assure that present needs do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This qualitative case study explored marketing strategies that business leaders in the green advertising industry use to increase the sale of green products. The social cognitive theory was the conceptual framework used in this study. In-depth interviews with 5 purposively selected business leaders with experience in advertising green products were supplemented with a review of documentation. Yin\u27s 5-step analysis guided the coding process of participants\u27 responses, and member checking was used to validate the transcribed data. The major themes of the study revealed strategies used in green advertising. The themes that emerged from the research include usage of social media, understanding behaviors of green consumers, and expectations of the emerging millennial generation. The implication for positive social change is the potential for increased environmental awareness that could positively affect the environment and improve effectiveness for companies that sell green products

CONSUMER’S MOTIVATION FOR PURCHASING FAIR TRADE CLOTHING

The purpose of this research is to determine if a consumer’s demographics, perceived consumer effectiveness, and awareness of fair trade practices affect their level of hedonic and utilitarian motivations that ultimately influence their purchase intentions. Two separate studies were conducted: a focus group and a survey. Middle-aged and older respondents were more motivated to buy fair trade clothing by both hedonic and utilitarian motivations than younger respondents. Respondents with only some college or an Associate’s degree are more hedonically motivated than other education levels. Respondents with a high household income are more motivated by their hedonic and utilitarian motivations than respondents with a low income. Respondents with high PCE responded more to their hedonic and utilitarian motivations to buy fair trade clothing than consumers with low PCE. Respondents that see promotional campaigns for fair trade clothing are overall less motivated to buy fair trade clothing than respondents that do not. Respondents that feel that people could make fairer choices if they were aware of which companies had high ethical principles are overall more motivated than respondents that feel people could not. As a respondent’s buying intention grew, the respondent grew more motivated in both hedonic and utilitarian categories

SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION RESEARCH: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA

Social influence has been shown to profoundly affect human behavior in general and technology adoption (TA) in particular. Over time, multiple definitions and measures of social influence have been introduced to the field of TA research, contributing to an increasingly fragmented landscape of constructs that challenges the conceptual integrity of the field. In this vein, this paper sets out to review how social influence has been conceptualized with regard to TA. In so doing, this paper hopes to inform researchers’ understanding of the construct, provide an overview of its myriad conceptualizations, constructively challenge extant approaches, and provide impulses for future research. A systematic review of the relevant literature uncovers that extant interpretations of social influence are 1) predominantly compliance-based and as such risk overlooking identification- and internalization-based effects, and 2) primarily targeted at the individual level, thereby neglecting the impact of socially rich environments. Building upon these insights, this paper develops an integrated perspective on social influence in TA research that encourages scholars to pursue a multi-theoretical understanding of social influence at the interface of users, social referents, and technology

A Thoughtful Journey Toward Sustainable Choice: Can Mindfulness Enhance Behavior Intent?

abstract: ABSTRACT The tourism industry continues to mature as many consumers are demanding more responsible and sustainable development. Mindfulness has been studied in tourism as a cognitive trait recognized by actively processing information through an acute sensitivity to an individual's environment and openness to new information. Mindfulness has been shown to predict behaviors related to tourism and recreation. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been extensively applied to understand human behavior. Despite TPB's extensive history in the social sciences, researchers continue to incorporate new social factors to explain behavior. This study employs an emerging psychological construct, mindfulness, into the TPB model as an enhancement to conceptual and empirical discrepancies. This study aimed to: (1) understand the presence of mindfulness among those who travel, and (2) test a hypothesized relationship between mindfulness and intent to be sustainable on vacation. The research seeks to answer - does mindfulness add to a traveler's likelihood to behave sustainably in a destination with active sustainable initiatives? The purpose of this study is to showcase emerging consumer traits, like mindfulness, to enhance visitor experiences through sustainability initiatives. A survey research method was employed to provide a broad, generalizable set of findings from a group of people who were planning a trip and may have visited a specific destination. This study partnered with Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau to access such a population. The survey was conducted with a self-administered online survey and 550 completed surveys were obtained. Behavior intention to be sustainable, in any visited destination, was regressed twice to address the research question. The first regression included original TPB independent variables (such as attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control). The second regression added the mindfulness variable. The mindfulness variable was found to be positive and significant in a general context. The model was tested for those who traveled to Sedona and mindfulness and actual behaviors associated with sustainability were strongly related. A traveler's perception of their ability to control behaviors had a significant role when paired with mindfulness. Results suggest the TPB model has availability to incorporate new consumer behavior traits to understand behavior intention.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Community Resources and Development 201

Creating an information systems security culture through an integrated model of employees compliance

Employees’ non-compliance with information systems security policies has been identified as a major threat to organizational data and information systems. This dissertation investigates the process underlying information systems security compliance in organizations with the focus on employees. The process model is complex, comprising many normative, attitudinal, psychological, environmental, and organizational factors. Therefore, the study of information security compliance requires a holistic assessment of all these factors. This dissertation seeks to achieve this objective by offering a comprehensive and integrated model of employee behavior especially focused towards information security compliance. The research framework is influenced by the Reciprocal Determinism Theory which explains individuals psycho-social functioning in terms of triadic reciprocal causation. Several theories explain the role of various factors forming the intellectual puzzle. These are: General Deterrence Theory, Social-Exchange Theory, Social Learning Theory, Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory, Rational Choice Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Reactance Theory, and Status-Quo Bias Theory. This dissertation makes several significant contributions to literature and to practitioners. Several new factors that influence compliance decisions by employees have been proposed, namely task dissonance, self-policing, word-of-mouth, and habit. For the first time, top management support has been examined as a multi-dimensional construct which provides a better understanding of the phenomenon. Also for the first time, this dissertation constructs a process model to examine the interactions between punishment severity and certainty and top management support and normative factors. It also investigates the interactions between normative and psychological factors, namely resistance and self-policing on information security compliance. This dissertation emphasizes that the practitioners should consider all the relevant factors in order to manage the information security compliance problem. Therefore, it is more useful to think in terms of establishing a security culture that embodies all the relevant factors prevalent in an organization. The dissertation is guided by positivist paradigm. Hypotheses are tested and validated using established quantitative approaches, namely data collection using survey and structural equation modeling. Major findings were derived and most of the dissertation’s hypotheses were supported. The findings are discussed, and the conclusions, significant theoretical and practical implications of the findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research are presented