Practitioner Implications on Sample Frame for Single Language Products

When a marketing research project is undertaken in a single language the potential for bias through misrepresentation of those who do not speak the language is always an inherent risk. That bias can greatly increase in a market with a significant population that does not speak that language. In practice there are a small number of U.S. markets that can be significantly impacted when addressing this concern. The author identifies the conditions under which this bias can be so great as to skew results. The author extends this to show how the bias can be a significant factor in marketing research decisions. Any discussion of modification of sample frame is inherently dangerous because it requires a judgment as to exclusion of people from the sample frame. But for some products, particularly for single language products such as Universities, radio stations, and print publications, to not make such a modification can seriously alter the overall study results. The author then proposes a basic model for correcting general market population estimates to allow for only including the population that speaks the language of interest. Through analysis of U.S. Census data the author demonstrates by example how this bias could impact the sample frame for research for a major market in the U.S. Lastly, the author discusses the implications of these findings and discusses the conditions under which the proposed population adjustment would be beneficial

School reform, school size, and student achievement

An estimation of the effect of school size on student achievement, with the results suggesting that market-based school reform could enhance student performance if the reform reduced school size.Education

On The Level You\u27re A Little Devil : But I\u27ll Soon Make An Angel Of You

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4402/thumbnail.jp

Impact of Personal Beliefs in Business-to-Business Buyer Decisions

For school transportation buyers, who have depended on diesel for decades, gaining knowledge of complex and dynamic information is complicated by the growing number of alternative fuel vehicles. As with a number of business purchases, school bus acquisitions represent a major expense for school districts. It a multi-faceted decision and is typically made by a group of influencers who weigh the various alternatives and have extensive input in the purchase process. As would be expected from a process of this nature there are many elements that are considered such as product cost, safety, reliability, maintenance costs, and anticipated fuel expenditures. As with many B2B decisions the general assumption, both by the bus companies and the school districts, is that while each district has different goals, price points, and expectations, these purchases follow a basic model of economic utility. The purchase that is expected is the one in which utility is maximized and cost is minimized. However, psychological ownership implications have the potential to help practitioners in understanding and predicting the important dimensions of customer value in the business-to-business context that influence the purchase decision. Therefore, a survey study was conducted that examined the importance of a variety of elements of the purchase decision with a clear sub-focus on sustainability as well as some demographic and psychographic questions. Individuals listed in two industry databases were contacted with an invitation to take the survey. Of those individuals 498 USA and Canadian school bus decision-makers and influencers responded. The primary relationship that was of interest was whether personal interest in sustainability and alternative fuel vehicles altered perceptions or behavior in the business decisions of the respondents (H1: Owners of hybrid vehicles will be more likely to purchase alternative fuel buses.) The hypothesis was supported. An implication for academicians from the study is that for Business-to-Business (B2B) purchasing individual perspectives of those carrying out policies have a significant influence on purchase decisions. Furthermore, from the study it can be seen that individuals in the buying center add value to economic theory of rational choice by bringing their personal knowledge to the buying center decision. While this has been accepted as a major aspect of individual decision making, it implies a much stronger weight to the psychological aspects of purchase in B2B decision than is currently accepted in modeling B2B buyer behavior. For practitioners, this study shows that it is very important for salespersons to know the personal driving habits of the buyers in a group as their behavior weighs on their interpretation of the benefits of other alternative fuel products in B2B setting. Alternately, if an influencer is not an alternative fuel owner then it will be much more difficult to make the argument for conversion to an alternative fuel bus fleet. In summation, because buying centers are made up of people with varying roles, previous knowledge from personal experience could impact final decisions. This knowledge of a gap and the personal experience with similar products provide just the opportunity needed to adjust the marketing mix needed to make the sale

Hello Central! Give me No Man\u27s Land

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6067/thumbnail.jp

Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6122/thumbnail.jp

Beware of Pink Pajamas

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/1100/thumbnail.jp

Economic Analysis of Energy Use and Agricultural Output for Representative Farms in the Oklahoma Panhandle

Agricultural Economic

Bridging the Journal Gap: How Increased AQ Demands have Pushed Marketing Publications to Capacity

As more Universities begin to stress academic publication as a way to conform to current Marketing Department and Business School standards of accreditation the need for additional outlets for scholarship has become a pressing concern for faculty. This paper examines the changes that have taken place in the environment and proposes some changes that need to occur to make the current model for academic success achievable. The reality in the market is that growth in journal outlets for academic publications has not kept pace with either the increased number of marketing faculty nor with the increased emphasis on research publication, particularly at the refereed journal level. Therefore academicians are faced with an increased need for publication and increased competition for the relatively limited slots available

Predicting the early therapeutic alliance in the treatment of drug misuse

Aims - To predict the early therapeutic alliance from a range of potentially relevant factors, including clients' social relationships, motivation and psychological resources, and counsellors' professional experience and ex-user status. Design - The study recruited 187 clients starting residential rehabilitation treatment for drug misuse in three UK services. Counsellor and client information was assessed at intake, and client and counsellor ratings of the alliance were obtained during weeks 1, 2 and 3. Measurements - The intake assessment battery included scales on psychological wellbeing, treatment motivation, coping strategies and attachment style. Client and counsellor versions of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-S) were used for weekly alliance measurement. Hierarchical linear models were used to examine the relationship between alliance and predictor variables. Findings - Clients who had better motivation, coping strategies, social support and a secure attachment style were more likely to develop good alliances. Findings with regard to counsellor characteristics were not clear cut: clients rated their relationships with ex-user counsellors, experienced counsellors and male counsellors as better, but more experienced counsellors rated their alliances as worse. Conclusions - The findings offer important leads as to what interventions might improve the therapeutic alliance. Further work will need to establish whether the therapeutic alliance and ultimately treatment outcomes can be enhanced by working on improving clients' motivation and psychosocial resources