Critical Insights: The Hobbit (2016) edited by Stephen W. Potts

Book review by Martin Simonson of Critical Insights: The Hobbit (2016), edited by Stephen W. Pott

Flora of Middle-earth (2017) by Walter S. Judd and Graham A. Judd

Book review by Martin Simonson of Flora of Middle-earth (2017) by Walter S. Judd and Graham A. Jud

The effect of paired comparisons on triple choice sets : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Marketing at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

As consumers become aware of different brands they might purchase, it is likely they will consider those brands by making a series of paired comparisons, before finally settling on one option they prefer most. Choice theory suggests that preferences are formed early, so by influencing a consumer to prefer one option in favour of other options at the start of a choice episode, this can have a systematic effect on subsequent, and in particular final choice. Simonson, Nowlis, and Lemon (1993) assert that consumers who make paired comparisons of alternatives that vary in price and quality before selecting from a triple set of the same options are more likely to choose the cheapest option, than those who evaluate just the triple set comprised of the same options. Four experiments tested this claim but the predicted effect failed to occur. Moreover, results from one experiment had the reverse effect, the preference share of the cheapest option decreased, while the share of the more expensive options increased. This was a statistically significant result. This contra finding is in agreement with the large body of published evidence that suggests consumers, when it is possible for them to do so, prefer higher quality to lower quality options. The effect of background factors on choice was of concern, so the effect of gender, household income, and age on choice was tested. Results from these tests were inconsistent, and showed that only young males from high-income households were significantly effected by the stepwise treatment. There was concern that heterogeneity in the sampled group of respondents might have confounded the measurement of treatment effects. To help reduce the influence of background factors, all results were weighted. However, Simonson et al. did not account for heterogeneity, so it is possible their treatments have interacted with some background factor associated with the context of choice, individual difference between respondents, or the product attributes. For this reason, the claim by Simonson et al. is open to criticism. Alternative explanations for Simonson et al. (1993) findings are advanced. New research is required into the effects of paired comparisons on choice

Oscar and Alice Simonson Papers

Oscar E. Simonson (1913-2014) and Alice Margaret Bakken (1918- ) were married on June 11, 1938. They made their home and farmed in the Bristol, South Dakota area for forty years, planting their first crops in the spring of 1939. The collection consists of “Farm Family Record Books” compiled by Alice and Oscar Simonson from June 1, 1941 through December 31, 1979 for their farm in Day County, SD. In these workbooks, issued by the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Home Administration, farmers recorded monthly all money taken in and paid out, as well as farm-furnished food, an annual summary, and a five year inventory. The workbooks provide details of a family farm during the mid-twentieth century. The collection also includes some images of the family and an oral history interview conducted with Alice Simonson in 2016

Dr Ed Simonson

Transcript of interview conducted with Dr. John Anthony related to the origins of Collin College

Flora of Middle-earth (2017) by Walter S. Judd and Graham A. Judd

Book review by Martin Simonson of Flora of Middle-earth (2017) by Walter S. Judd and Graham A. Jud

Reseñas

Anymir ORELLANA, Terry L. HUDGINS y Michael R. SIMONSON (eds), The perfect online course: best practices for designing and teachin

Radical Joy Performed into Action: A Study of Feminist Performance Art

Although traditionally excluded from the art world as from all major institutions, women artists staked their claim by revolutionizing performance art as a medium in the 1960s and 70s. By integrating life and art, feminist artists developed the powerful ideology that “the personal is political,” especially in art. From this foundation of radical assertion, feminist artists explored, resisted, and deconstructed their struggles. Contemporary feminist artists not only have different battles to fight, they fight them in a different format: digital media. In this project, I seek to explore the ways performance artists before me have used the medium of performance art for radical change, and the ways it can be used to affect change in the future

Snapshot: Emergency Department Visits for Preventable Dental Conditions in California

Provides an overview of dental health in California, the supply of providers, and out-of-pocket expenses. Presents data on emergency room visits for preventable conditions, by condition, county, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and insurance status and type