Message Strategy and the Perception of Self-Efficacy in Behavioral Intentions resulting from Advocacy Advertising

This thesis uses the Haley (1996) study as a conceptual framework for the study of advocacy advertising. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the role of message strategy in increasing the consumers\u27 perception of self-efficacy, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) in behavioral intentions resulting from advocacy advertising. Additionally, the thesis explored the correlations and causal relationships between self-efficacy/ PCE, and behavioral intention and behavioral intention and the consumers\u27 evaluation of the organization as good. A quasi-experimental design was used. A questionnaire along with one of the two experimental stimuli (a print advertisement with the transformational-ego or the informational-ration message strategy) was presented to college students. The results are based on 154 completed questionnaires. The results showed that a transformational message strategy enhanced receivers\u27 perception of self-efficacy more than an informational strategy but did not enhance PCE. Secondly, higher perceived self-efficacy or PCE completed with higher behavior intention toward the action recommended m the advocacy ads. The transformational-ego message strategy resulted in higher results of behavioral intention. Thirdly, the higher behavioral intentions led to higher evaluations of the sponsoring organization. However, the behavioral intentions did not explain the positive evaluations of the sponsoring organization. Behavioral intentions and evaluations of the organization had positive correlations but not a causal relationship. Six items other than behavioral intention items were identified as predictors of a positive evaluation of the organizatio

Business Role Schema Effects: Exploration of Information Processing in the Perception of Values Advocacy Advertising

The study found consumers hold different types of business role schema. When participants viewed values advocacy advertisements, those who held socially oriented schema were more sensitive to the company’s prior perception (called individual company schema in this paper) on evaluating the sponsor’s motives than those who held business oriented schema. Sponsors’ perceived motives had influence on evaluating attitude toward and trustworthiness of the sponsor. Issue involvement significantly interacted with perceived motives. High-issue involvement subjects were more sensitive to perceived motives on the perceptions of the sponsor (trustworthiness and attitude) than low-issue involvement subjects. Issue involvement was also significantly interacted with the attitude toward the sponsor on purchase intention; when subjects had a high level of issue involvement, they became sensitive to the perception of attitude toward a sponsor when evaluating their purchase intentions. However, low-issue involvement consumers were less sensitive to the perception of attitude toward a sponsor when evaluating their purchase intention. Interestingly, the study showed the different results between the two designs, McDonald’s ad and Miller’s ad, which were discussed in this paper. Finally, the current study demonstrated that values advocacy advertising can achieve both goals from social perspective (enhancing socially conscious behavior) and from business perspective (purchase intention). Further, interestingly, self-efficacy toward the advocated actions was found to be an important factor influencing consumers’ purchase intention. The results suggest that consumers’ perceptions toward advocated action by a sponsor and evaluation of their purchase intention for products produced by a sponsor are likely to interact together rather than consumers process those two different goals separately

Exploring The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of Employment Policy Program For Vulnerable People

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between efficiency and effectiveness of employment policy programs for vulnerable people. The study conducted both qualitative and quantitative research. For qualitative research, in-depth interviews were conducted in order to examine the insights of experts in the field regarding the needs, expectations and attitudes of vulnerable people towards jobs. Quantitative research is designed for the efficiency and effectiveness of main functions including analyzing and defining targets; setting program plans; operating and delivering service; and program improvement. The results of the study indicate that the appropriate selection of target beneficiaries; attractiveness of hiring entities, well-prepared program content; funding; campaign; counselling; training; and tailored and integrated services are relevant to the efficiencies of the major functions of the program. The study provides policy implications for the application of innovative welfare service delivery and the creation of eligible labor markets for vulnerable people

One-dimensional broadband phononic crystal filter with unit cells made of two non-uniform impedance-mirrored elements

A one-dimensional finite-sized phononic crystal(PC) made of a specially-configured unit cell is proposed to realize broad bandpass, high-performance filtering. The unit cell is specially-configured with two elements having mirrored impedance distributions of each other. One element has a non-uniform impedance distribution that is so engineered as to maximize wave transmission in the pass band and to minimize transmission in the adjacent stop band while the other, exactly the mirrored distribution. The mirroring approach naturally yields the overall impedance contrast within the resulting unit cell, necessary to form stop bands in a PC of the unit cells. More importantly, the good transmission performance of the orginally-engineered element can be preserved by the approach because no additional impedance mismatch is introduced along the interface of the two impedance-mirrored elements. Extraordinary performance of the PC filter made of the proposed unit cell, such as high transmission, large bandwidth and sharp roll-off, is demonstrated by using one-dimensional longitudinal elastic wave problems. Copyright 2013 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4790638ope

The relationship of ovarian endometrioma and its size to the preoperative serum anti-Mullerian hormone level

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of ovarian endometrioma according to its size on the serumanti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels compared to that of other benign ovarian cysts.Material and methods: The current study retrospectively evaluated preoperative serum AMH level and its association to presentingovarian cyst size which were measured in clinical setting. Women with surgically diagnosed endometrioma or other benignovarian cysts were included. All patients underwent transvaginal or transrectal ultrasonography to determine the size of theovarian cysts. Preoperative serum AMH level was checked and evaluated according to histologic type of the cyst, which wereendometrioma or other benign ovarian cysts, respectively. Both groups were classified into ≤ 4 cm, > 4 cm and ≤ 8 cm, > 8 cmand ≤ 12 cm, > 12 cm according to the diameter of cyst and analyzed the difference of mean AMH levels in both groups.Results: There was no significant difference in preoperative serum AMH level between the two groups (3.36 ± 2.3 versus3.76 ± 2.64, p = 0.331). The difference of preoperative AMH levels according to categorized cyst size also was not statisticallysignificant in both groups.Conclusions: Preoperative serum AMH levels were not statistically different between endometrioma and other benignovarian cyst groups and were not related to the size of endometrioma

The Presence of Two Distinct Red Giant Branches in the Globular Cluster NGC 1851

There is a growing body of evidence for the presence of multiple stellar populations in some globular clusters, including NGC 1851. For most of these peculiar globular clusters, however, the evidence for the multiple red giant-branches (RGBs) having different heavy elemental abundances as observed in Omega Centauri is hitherto lacking, although spreads in some lighter elements are reported. It is therefore not clear whether they also share the suggested dwarf galaxy origin of Omega Cen or not. Here we show from the CTIO 4m UVI photometry of the globular cluster NGC 1851 that its RGB is clearly split into two in the U - I color. The two distinct RGB populations are also clearly separated in the abundance of heavy elements as traced by Calcium, suggesting that the type II supernovae enrichment is also responsible, in addition to the pollutions of lighter elements by intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch stars or fast-rotating massive stars. The RGB split, however, is not shown in the V - I color, as indicated by previous observations. Our stellar population models show that this and the presence of bimodal horizontal-branch distribution in NGC 1851 can be naturally reproduced if the metal-rich second generation stars are also enhanced in helium.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Two distinct red giant branch populations in the globular cluster NGC 2419 as tracers of a merger event in the Milky Way

Recent spectroscopic observations of the outer halo globular cluster (GC) NGC 2419 show that it is unique among GCs, in terms of chemical abundance patterns, and some suggest that it was originated in the nucleus of a dwarf galaxy. Here we show, from the Subaru narrow-band photometry employing a calcium filter, that the red giant-branch (RGB) of this GC is split into two distinct subpopulations. Comparison with spectroscopy has confirmed that the redder RGB stars in the $hk$[=(Ca$-b)-(b-y)$] index are enhanced in [Ca/H] by $\sim$0.2 dex compared to the bluer RGB stars. Our population model further indicates that the calcium-rich second generation stars are also enhanced in helium abundance by a large amount ($\Delta$Y = 0.19). Our photometry, together with the results for other massive GCs (e.g., $\omega$ Cen, M22, and NGC 1851), suggests that the discrete distribution of RGB stars in the $hk$ index might be a universal characteristic of this growing group of peculiar GCs. The planned narrow-band calcium photometry for the Local Group dwarf galaxies would help to establish an empirical connection between these GCs and the primordial building blocks in the hierarchical merging paradigm of galaxy formation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for the publication in ApJ