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Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationMost research predicting future behaviors have used the Theory of Reasoned Action or the Theory of Planned Behavior. A visitor's intention to return has been used as a measure of potential repeat patronage in travel and tourism research. As real estate development companies continue to saturate the tourism market, it is becoming more important for management companies to retain and build their existing client base. According to Petrick, Morais, and Norman, "with a market that appears to be getting more competitive every year, it is becoming more and more important for managers at entertainment destinations to examine the variables related to attracting and retaining entertainment travelers." Research reports that companies find it more cost efficient to focus on retaining clients rather than seeking new ones. Resorts may gain important information for accomplishing this objective by attempting to understand visitors' intentions to return. While intent does not guarantee behavior, past research has linked intentions to actual behavior. Understanding visitors' intentions and their psychosocial antecedents can thus provide useful marketing information. This study focused on vacation rentals (nontraditional whole-ownership condominium resorts) along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast. The Theory of Planned Behavior has been used successfully in predicting and explaining visitor intentions in traditional lodging markets such as the hotel/motel market. However, the theory has not been used to understand the vacation rental market. In the downswing of the current economy and with the increase of industry competition for gaining market share, there is a need for better understanding the underlying variables that affect customer retention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relation between intention to return to a vacation rental along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast and the antecedent variables of attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioral control

Etic and emic perspectives on HIV/AIDS impacts on rural livelihoods and agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa

Using an HIV/AIDS lens in looking at developments in rural livelihoods and agricultural practice reveals a diversity of critical impacts of the epidemic. Still, in most of the countries hardest-hit by HIV/ AIDS the agricultural sector lacks adequate policies and programmes to deal with the crisis. This paper examines the results of research about HIV/AIDS impacts on rural livelihoods and agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa that was carried out during the past five years. Most of the researchers concerned are affiliated with Wageningen University. A number of them contributed as authors to the present special issue. In the review and synthesis presented in this paper both an etic and an emic perspective are used. The etic picture is one of mixed evidence regarding the livelihood effects of HIV/AIDS. Eliciting the views of people living with HIV/AIDS (the emic perspective) revealed continuity between notions of health of the human body and health of crops and the natural environment. This is particularly relevant for the practice and language of extension services and the effectiveness of approaches used by organizations – governmental and non-governmental – that try to mitigate the impacts the epidemic has on farmers and rural livelihoods

Partnering for Mental Health Promotion: Implementing Evidence Based Mental Health Services Within a Maternal and Child Home Health Visiting Program

This article details the clinical foundations of a social work focused community-based participatory research project promoting women’s mental health during and around the time of pregnancy. Specifically, we discuss the theoretical, empirical and organizational implementation of an enhanced engagement model of mental health service delivery that integrates evidenced based practices into the structure and services of an existing non-profit maternal and child health home visiting agency. The model is grounded in literature addressing barriers to accessing mental health care among minority women living in low-income communities. We discuss informing the intervention through direct consumer involvement, as well the rationale supporting the inclusion of Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy into the design and implementation of the model which emphasizes adequate training of staff with varying levels of mental health experience. Finally, we describe typical client situations and responses reflected by the Enhanced Engagement model and discuss future implications of this approach as a way to offer meaningful intervention to women and families who may not have access or eligibility to utilize specialty mental health services