Attitudes and Perceptions of Adoption of Amusement Park Mobile Applications

Many amusement parks across the US have developed mobile applications. Considering the potential business impact of mobile applications, it is important to understand amusement park visitors’ perceptions and attitudes toward mobile applications. This study proposes a conceptual model that incorporates variables from the technology acceptance model, the task-technology fit theory, and the theory of planned behavior. These variables will be used to investigate the attitudes, perceptions, and behavioral intentions of amusement park visitors. Structural Equation Modeling will be utilized to test the conceptual model. This study can provide amusement park operators with guidance for the improvement and efficiency of mobile applications and suggest strategies for operators to stimulate amusement park mobile application (APMA) adoption

Union-Management Training Programs in the Public Sector: The New York Experience

[Excerpt] New York State has a long history of union-management education and training programs, making it unique in public sector employment. This chapter examines the programs undertaken at both state and city levels, as well as the applicability of the New York experience to other public sector jurisdictions. Although the profile of the New York State and city work force differs from that of the rest of the nation, there is much of value here for educators, union leaders, and others involved in public sector employment

Digital or Printed Textbooks: Which do Students Prefer and Why?

Despite the fact the many textbook publishers offer several of their titles in digital format, the sale of e-textbooks have been less than stellar. This study investigates factors in the adoption of e-textbooks. Specifically, it examines students’ preferences toward printed versus electronic textbooks, and why they prefer one to the other. In general, students still prefer printed textbooks to electronic textbooks. The primary reason for their preference was because the students simply prefer print to digital. This study helps both textbook publishers and educators to better understand the reasons for e-textbook adoption and help determine ways to communicate the benefits of e-textbooks

Student Listening Sessions Key to Nudge Food Pantry Program Development

The shared objective of improving nutrition health led a service learning administrator to introduce Together, a homeless services organization, to a nutrition course. The partnership aimed to develop a nutrition nudges food pantry program. Nudges are messages that encourage nutritious food choices. Three keys to ten proposed nudges are identified. First is co-development of 40% of course curriculum by instructor and agency community partner director. The second is training and implementation of listening sessions. Listening sessions provide opportunity for student engagement with participants; hearing life stories, identifying nutrition and health interests. The third is student-led collaboration to determine nudge messages and delivery modes based on listening sessions, literature, observations and reflection. Student reflections identify listening sessions as most influential in meeting course objective of encountering, serving and forming a relationship through program planning and implementation in an outside community. Together anticipates its community gaining knowledge of healthy choices and looks forward to finding if gained knowledge results in improved food selections. Faculty role includes providing a framework for community assessment and engagement; and program creation freedom based on student-participant interactions. Student role includes willingness to complete course requirements in non-traditional environment. Community partner role includes instilling organization mission, guiding understanding of participant needs and openness to student views

An Analysis of Online Customer Complaints in Multiple Sectors of the Hotel Industry

The Internet has become a highly used tool for communication. Through the use of online communities consumers are able to view as well as leave comments regarding their experiences. These comments can either be positive or negative. By examining the customer complaining behavior, the purpose of this study is to identify the differences between negative online complaints against luxury hotels and mid-scale hotels, and to provide managers with some insights to help them respond properly to different online complaints. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, online complaints will be analyzed. The findings of this study are expected to help hotel managers properly respond to online complaints

The Utilization of a hybrid task technologyfit-technology acceptance model for the evaluation of hotel Guest Empowerment Technologies usage

In the modern economy organizations are trying to find every means possible to increase productivity and reduce costs. As such many organizations have turned to technology to aid in this. Due to this in recent years there has been a transition from traditional consumer self-service environments to technology assisted self-service environments. Through the use of technology customers are able to create products and services for purchase by with little to no help from the organization providing the products and services. The hotel industry has also seen a rise in the use of technology applications to guests in performing services once only conducted by employees. A specialized form of this type of usage of self-service technology in the hotel industry is known as Guest Empowerment Technology (GET). Specifically, Guest Empowerment Technologies are electronic systems that allow hotel guests to have more personal control over their stay in a hotel as well as systems that provide more convenience for guests without direct intervention from hotel staff. These technologies include systems such as in-room checkout systems, in-room entertainment systems, on demand printing services, lobby kiosks, and online reservation systems. The purpose of this study was to determine and quantify the factors that impact hotel guests\u27 intentions to seek and utilize guest empowerment technologies. This study found that the factors of individual characteristics, technology characteristics, task characteristics, fit, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness have a significant impact on intention to use. The contribution of this research is both academic and practical. First, this study will be among the first to examine and test determinants of guests\u27 intentions to utilize guest empowerment technologies. In addition, this study will expand upon the current body of knowledge in the areas of self-service technology acceptance, perceived ease of use of self-service technology, perceived usefulness of self-service technology, and improve the understanding of the relationships among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intentions to use, task characteristics, technology characteristics, individual characteristics, and fit. The third contribution this study will make is through the development and extension of a multidimensional instrument to measure perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intentions to use, task characteristics, technology characteristics, individual characteristics, and fit

WiFi Availability and Accessibility as Stated on Hotel Websites

Competition among hotels is increasing. As such, hotels are constantly looking for ways to increase both their competitive advantage and guest satisfaction. Hotels have discovered ways to do this through the use of technologies such as wireless networks. Wireless networks have the potential to provide guests with additional amenities as well as allow for greater productivity among staff members. This can both increase a hotel’s competitive advantage, and satisfy guest expectations. The purpose of this exploratory study, therefore, is to determine if hotels are taking advantage of this opportunity by promoting wireless internet availability via their property’s website and using it as a tool to attract customers. The findings of this study indicate that hotels are using their websites to provide information about availability of wireless access. However, limited information is indicated on the websites as to the location of access points and the charges related with use of the service

Verapamil protects against progression of experimental chronic renal failure

Verapamil protects against progression of experimental chronic renal failure. Chronic administration of verapamil (Ver) decreases nephrocalcinosis and tubular ultrastructural abnormalities in the remnant model of chronic renal disease. In the present study, the effect of chronic Ver administration on renal function, renal histology and mortality after subtotal nephrectomy was examined. Fourteen days after staged subtotal nephrectomy rats were paired according to renal functional impairment, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and body weight. Rats were pair fed and received either Ver (0.1 µg/g sc bid, N = 10) or saline (0.1ml sc bid, N = 10) for up to 23 weeks. Both members of each pair were sacrificed shortly before the uremic death of controls. At sacrifice, rats treated with Ver had a lower serum creatinine (2.29 vs. 2.99 mg/dl, P < 0.05) and a higher creatinine clearance (318 vs. 164 µl/min, P < 0.05) than controls. In a second experiment, survival was superior in rats treated with Ver than in controls from week seven (P < 0.0025 by week 14). Serum creatinine was higher at week 10 in control rats (1.68 vs. 1.10 mg/dl, P < 0.05). MAP was no different between the two groups, irrespective of the time between Ver administration and the measurement of MAP. Histological damage and nephrocalcinosis were worse, and renal and myocardial calcium content was higher in controls. In conclusion, independent of any effect on systematic MAP, chronic administration of Ver protects against renal dysfunction, histological damage, nephrocalcinosis and myocardictl calcification, and improves survival in the remnant model of chronic renal disease

Acute phosphate depletion and in vitro rat proximal tubule injury: Protection by glycine and acidosis

Acute phosphate depletion and in vitro rat proximal tubule injury: Protection by glycine and acidosis.The effects of phosphate (PO4) removal from Krebs Henseleit buffer on freshly isolated rat proximal tubules (rPT) were assessed by measuring Ca2+ uptake (nmol/mg protein), cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (nmol/mg), tissue K+ content (nmol/mg) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as an index of cell integrity. Ca2+ uptake increased by 50% in rPT incubated in zero PO4 medium as compared to control (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 3.9 ±0.19, P < 0.001) and LDH release increased 2.5-fold from 14.2 ±0.6 to 31.6 ±1.6%, P < 0.001. Neither verapamil (200 µM) nor mepacrine (50 µM) reduced Ca2+ uptake or decreased LDH release suggesting that the increased Ca2+ uptake was not occurring through potential operated channels and that phospholipase-induced cell injury was not the cause of increased LDH release. Either glycine (2 mM) or extracellular fluid acidosis (pH 7.06), however, significantly diminished rPT injury and Ca2+ uptake. Specifically, as compared to the increased LDH released in untreated, PO4-depleted rPT, LDH release was diminished significantly by glycine treatment (31.0 ±0.9 vs. 15.5 ±1.6%, P < 0.001) or acidosis (30.3 ±0.04 vs. 19.2 ±0.9%, P < 0.01). Ca2+ uptake did not increase in glycine treated tubules (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 2.8 ±0.2 nmol/mg, NS) or in the presence of acidosis (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 2.97 ±0.17 nmol/mg, NS). ATP concentrations were markedly reduced by PO4 depletion (2.8±0.2 vs. 4.8±0.3 nmol/mg, P < 0.001) and remained at low levels during either acidosis or glycine-induced protection. ATP depletion was accompanied by loss of K+ from rPT and this was only modestly attenuated by either glycine or acidosis. Total cell PO4 was not significantly altered, however, perchloric acid (PCA) extractable free PO4 was reduced significantly (33.3 ±4.5 to 15.9 ±3.5 nmol/mg, P < 0.01). The rPT injury, associated with acute PO4 depletion, may be related to Ca2+ uptake since Ca2+ uptake and LDH release were both attenuated by glycine administration or acidosis