Using 3D product visualisation to tap consumers’ experience with online retailers: From telepresence to authenticity

This study investigates the effects of authentic three dimensional (3D) product visualisation versus 3D telepresence on consumers’ virtual experience. A hypothetical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations for the within-subjects laboratory experiment. The first stage uses two-way repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effects of the progressive levels of control and animated colours on 3D authenticity (the dependent variable). In a second stage, we use structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypothesis. This research uses a U.K. sample to investigate the effects of 3D authenticity and 3D telepresence on willingness to purchase and reveals significant differences between telepresence and authenticity constructs. Authenticity is more significant in simulating an online retailer’s products, and control and animated colours represent the main antecedents of authenticity. The proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are all valid

Using authentic 3D product visualisation for an electrical online retailer

This study investigates the effects of authentic three dimensional (3D) product visualisation versus 3D telepresence on consumers’ virtual experience. A hypothetical electrical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations for the within-subjects laboratory experiments. The first experiment uses two-way repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effects of the antecedents on 3D authenticity. In a second experiment, a one-way ANOVA compares telepresence and authenticity scores. This research uses a U.K. sample to investigate the effects of control and animated colours on 3D authenticity and the effects of 3D authenticity on experiential and instrumental values. The results reveal significant differences between telepresence and authenticity constructs. Authenticity is more significant in simulating an online retailer’s products, and control and animated colours represent the main antecedents of authenticity. Moreover, experiential and instrumental values represent the main consequences of 3D authenticity

An Economic and Life Cycle Analysis of Regional Land Use and Transportation Plans, Research Report 11-25

Travel and emissions models are commonly applied to evaluate the change in passenger and commercial travel and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use and transportation plans. Analyses conducted by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments predict a decline in such travel and emissions from their land use and transportation plan (the “Preferred Blueprint” or PRB scenario) relative to a “Business-As-Usual” scenario (BAU). However, the lifecycle GHG effects due to changes in production and consumption associated with transportation and land use plans are rarely, if ever, conducted. An earlier study conducted by the authors, applied a spatial economic model (Sacramento PECAS) to the PRB plan and found that lower labor, transport, and rental costs increased producer and consumer surplus and production and consumption relative to the BAU. As a result, lifecycle GHG emissions from these upstream economic activities may increase. At the same time, lifecycle GHG emissions associated with the manufacture of construction materials for housing may decline due to a shift in the plan from larger luxury homes to smaller multi-family homes in the plan. To explore the net impact of these opposing GHG impacts, the current study used the economic production and consumption data from the PRB and BAU scenarios as simulated with the Sacramento PECAS model as inputs to estimate the change in lifecycle GHG emissions. The economic input-output lifecycle assessment model is applied to evaluate effects related to changes in economic production and consumption as well as housing construction. This study also builds on the findings from two previous studies, which suggest potential economic incentives for jurisdictional non-compliance with Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCSs) under Senate Bill 375 (also known as the “anti-sprawl” bill). SB 375 does not require local governments to adopt general plans that are consistent with the land use plans included in SCSs, and thus such incentives could jeopardize implementation of SCSs and achievement of GHG goals. In this study, a set of scenarios is simulated with the Sacramento PECAS model, in which multiple jurisdictions partially pursue the BAU at differing rates. The PRB is treated as a straw or example SCS. The scenarios are evaluated to understand how non-conformity may influence the supply of housing by type, and holding other factors constant, the geographic and income distribution of rents, wages, commute costs, and consumer surplus

Screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

This chapter discusses screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

Simulating the Flow of Students Through Cal Poly\u27s Undergraduate Industrial Engineering Program for Policy Analysis

The purpose of this project is to analyze the flow of Industrial Engineering students at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo in order to measure various graduation metrics by use of a simulation. Currently, graduation rates are relatively low in comparison with the rest of the state of California and future growth and decreased budgets may threaten graduation rates for incoming students. This simulation will identify bottleneck classes [those that hold up students from graduating] and provide a basis for a sensitivity analysis in which different scenarios are constructed to determine their effects on graduation metrics. The simulation will offer a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet as an input in which any user could alter class capacities and offerings so as to determine the effects of these decisions. This tool provides a valuable resource for the Department Chair of the Industrial and Manufacturing Department at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo because it provides a high-level view of the impact of important decisions for the department. The project concludes with a sensitivity analysis of eight different cases that are analyzed to provide insight into whether or not certain decisions should be made about the curriculum. Of the many conclusions determined from the sensitivity analysis, it is noted that the department can sustain a 10% increase in enrollment of new students, but not a 20% increase in enrollment, while maintaining current graduation rates. Furthermore, the elimination of pass and fail rates from the system does not provide a significant effect on graduation rates and it is recommended that they stay in place. Additionally, it is noted that a reduction in capacity of 10% across all classes is very harmful to students while the adjustment of classes based on effective capacities [the percentage of Industrial Engineering students enrolled multiplied by class capacity] is highly beneficial. It is the hope that this simulation tool can be used by the department in making decisions similar to this in the future

3D product authenticity model for online retail: An invariance analysis

This study investigates the effects of different levels of invariance analysis on three dimensional (3D) product authenticity model (3DPAM) constructs in the e- retailing context. A hypothetical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations. The proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are all valid. We empirically investigate the invariance across the subgroups to validate the results of our 3DPAM. We concluded that the 3D product authenticity model construct was invariant for our sample across different gender, level of education and study backgrounds. These findings suggested that all our subgroups conceptualised the 3DPAM similarly. Also the results show some non-invariance results for the structural and latent mean models. The gender group posits a non-invariance latent mean model. Study backgrounds group reveals a non-invariance result for the structural model. These findings allowed us to understand the 3DPAMs validity in the e-retail context. Managerial implications are explained

Opportunity Cost of Student Loan Debt Forgiveness: Testing the Impact of Four Policy Options on United States’ Economy

Nearly 45 million Americans are trapped in a student loan debt. In total they owe more than $1.75 trillion. Research shows that such a high amount of debt harms the U.S. economy in several ways, preventing anything from small business development to new house purchases, and even weddings and procreation. It is an issue that stakeholders have tried to address by offering different relief measures ranging from re-financing to debt cancellation. Debt cancellation has remained high on the agenda of the Democrat political leadership. This is the reason that student loan debt cancellation was on the agenda of each democrat primary candidate during 2020 presidential primaries. An important justification while propagating student loan debt cancellation has been that it will boost the U.S. economy apart from other likely benefits. Despite the policy of student loan debt cancellation being announced by the Biden Administration, the three branches of the government are not on the same page regarding its implementation. While the Congress passed a bill in early June 2023 attempting to block its implementation, the Supreme Court on June 30, 2023, ruled against the implementation of the loan debt cancellation policy of the Biden administration (Department of Education et al. v . Brown et al., 2023; Biden v . Nebraska, 2023). Even though the debt cancellation policy has been facing a tug of war between the three branches of our government, yet the policy remains to be proposed as one of the most important solutions to the student loan debt problem because it will be improving U.S. economy. There is, however, limited research on measurement of impact of loan cancellation policy on the U.S. economy. One such effort was undertaken by Fullwiler et.al (2018). They created a simulation to measure the impact of complete loan forgiveness on the U.S. economy. However, there is no research which tests the validity of these impacts, as to whether such impacts are attributable to the implementation of student loan debt cancellation policy. This research extends the work of Fullwiler et al. (2018) by undertaking a sensitivity analysis of different policy options under consideration/being propagated, by measuring their respective impact on the key macro-economic variables of the U.S. economy. This study then further extends to testing these impacts on the key macro-economic variables for their statistical significance to show whether the implementation of policy is indeed responsible for the impact. The study tests for statistical significance to rule out possibility of impact by other confounding variables or biases impacting such a change in the economic output. The purpose of this study was to test different policy options to provide plausible policy options for loan cancellation in case the Congress wants to act upon the loan cancellation policy in future, by showcasing the macroeconomic impacts of the respective policy options on the U.S. economy by 2030 and testing their statistical significance using Difference – in – Differences method. The study found that different policy options of cancellation of the loan will yield differential aspects on GDP, Unemployment, and Inflation rate. The study found that none of policy options had statistically significant impact on unemployment numbers and rate of inflation. Three out of the four policy options tested in this study were found to have statistically significant impact on the Real GDP, whereas policy option 2, that is, the Biden administration’s loan forgiveness policy did not show a statistically significant impact. This study found that the argument of student loan cancellation policy U.S. economy may not hold good in terms of aggregated macroeconomic variables of Unemployment and Inflation and may only be effective for the aggregated macroeconomic variable of Real GDP only for three out of the four policy options that were tested. One of the most important finding relevant to the current debates of loan forgiveness in the political environment of U.S. is that the student loan forgiveness policy of Biden administration may have no impact on the U.S. economy in terms of all the three aggregated macroeconomic variables being analyzed in this study

The demographic challenge facing Scottish HEIs: a computable general equilibrium analysis

This paper measures the regional demand impacts on output and employment of Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) based on Input-Output tables for the year 2006. The HEI disaggregated table was developed from existing Input-Output tables using supplementary data from HESA and purchasing data for Scottish universities. We calculate direct, indirect and induced impacts. Most of the existing literature focuses on individual institutions by employing Keynesian Multiplier or Input-Output analysis. This paper adds to the literature by providing the first systematic study of all individual HEIs using a common framework of analysis. The results suggest that HEIs may have substantial regional economic impacts both in terms of output and employment. Furthermore analysis of the HEIs' income sources suggests they are more export intensive than is commonly acknowledged, which motivates a re-evaluation of the appropriate counterfactual in regional impact studies of HEIs. Keywords: HEIs, University Impact, Input-Output

Impact of HEIs on the Scottish economy: new evidence from an HEI-disaggregated input-output approach

This paper measures the regional demand impacts on output and employment of Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) based on Input-Output tables for the year 2006. The HEI disaggregated table was developed from existing Input-Output tables using supplementary data from HESA and purchasing data for Scottish universities. We calculate direct, indirect and induced impacts. Most of the existing literature focuses on individual institutions by employing Keynesian Multiplier or Input-Output analysis. This paper adds to the literature by providing the first systematic study of all individual HEIs using a common framework of analysis. The results suggest that HEIs may have substantial regional economic impacts both in terms of output and employment. Furthermore analysis of the HEIs' income sources suggests they are more export intensive than is commonly acknowledged, which motivates a re-evaluation of the appropriate counterfactual in regional impact studies of HEIs. Keywords: HEIs, University Impact, Input-Output