Travel Patterns of Destination Mountain Bikers

In the spring of 2003, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) cooperated with Ride the Shore Tours Inc. to survey IMBA members in order to gain an understanding of mountain bikers' travel patterns. A geographically diverse sample of U.S. IMBA members received an email from the organization inviting them to participate in an online survey, hosted on the Ride the Shore website (www.ridetheshore.com). Approximately 1,400 IMBA members were invited to participate. A total of 464 responses were received by the survey deadline, a response rate of 33%. It is important to keep in mind that results are representative of IMBA members only and do not necessarily reflect travel patterns of the larger population of American mountain bikers

Entry Strategy Performance: An Empirical Examination Of The Microcomputer Software Industry

Statement of problem. Not only is it expensive to bring products to market, but the rate of failure for new entries is high. Managers and researchers recognize that many factors affect the performance of a new entry, but most prior research has examined each construct one at a time using different measures for the constructs involved. These activities have contributed to the inconsistent findings.;Procedure or methods. A model of entry strategy performance is developed from prior research*. An entry strategy affects both the short and long term performance of the product as it establishes the product\u27s initial competitive posture. Entry strategies are comprised of three fundamental components or decision areas: timing of entry (when to enter the market), magnitude of investment (in terms of R&D, promotional activities, distribution, etc.) and area of competitive emphasis. Other factors, outside the immediate control of management, affect a product\u27s success or failure. They affect not only the performance of the new entrant but also the selection of the entry strategy itself. These are included in the general model*. This model is then operationalized and empirically examined to two product markets in the microcomputer software industry: word processing and business graphics. Analysis of the model is done via partial least squares analysis.;Results. All of the paths in the operationalized model were significant in one or both of the product markets. The most important predictors/explainers of performance were magazine coverage of the products (an industry specific construct added to the general model), competitive positioning dimensions: quality and value, and timing of entry. The weakest effects on performance came from the product market constructs: concentration and number of competitors.;Conclusion. The major contribution of this research is the development and testing of a comprehensive model of entry performance. It can be used as a decision-making aid for managers and as a general guide to researchers into entry strategies. ftn*Please refer to dissertation for diagram

The Food Retailing Structure of the Northwest Territories

Food retailers in the Northwest Territories face dramatically different conditions from those of southern food retailers. There are three main differences: (1) small market size, (2) limited geographical access to suppliers and (3) different types of competitors. These differences have resulted in higher food prices and smaller, more general, stores with a wider variety of merchandise than southern supermarkets. Resupply is much less frequent than in southern supermarkets because resupply must be made via either air or barge shipment rather than truck delivery. The N.W.T. food retailing structure comprises three types of food retailers: the independently operated stores, the cooperatives and chain stores. This first examination of the similarities and differences between the store types is drawn from a mail survey of all the food retailers in the N.W.T. The food retailers have adapted to the small, isolated northern markets by expanding their merchandise line well beyond food products. The Hudson's Bay Company stores carry the widest variety of merchandise, while the others carry a more limited product line. Inventory management varies among the store types. The cooperatives generally fail to use the cheaper alternative transportation modes (road or water) where possible. This is not due to location but may reflect poor managerial skills or simply a lack of profit motivation.Key words: food retailing, Northwest Temtories, mode, retail structure, management, Hudson’s Bay Company, cooperatives, independentsLes détaillants en alimentation des Territoires du Nord-Ouest font face à des conditions radicalement différentes de celles des détaillants en alimentation du Sud. Il y a trois différences principales: (1) le marché est plus petit, (2) l’accès géographique aux fournisseurs est limité et (3) les concurrents sont d’un genre différent. Ces différences font que le prix de la nourriture est plus élevé, que les magasins sont plus petits et qu’ils ressemblent plus à un magasin général, offrant une plus grande variété de marchandises que les supermarchés du Sud. La fréquence du réapprovisionnement est moindre que pour ces derniers, car l’approvisionnement doit se faire par avion ou par péniche plutôt que par camion. La structure de l’alimentation de détail dans les T.N.-O. comprend trois types de détaillants les magasins indépendants, les coopératives et les magasins appartenant à des chaînes. Ce premier examen des ressemblances et des différences entre les types de magasins a été obtenu à partir d’une enquête postée à tous les détaillants en alimentation des T. N.-O. Les détaillants en alimentation se sont adaptés aux petits marchés isolés du Nord en élargissant la gamme de leurs produits bien au-delà des produits alimentaires. Les magasins de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson ont la plus grande variété de marchandises, tandis que les autres ont une gamme de produits plus limitée. La gestion des inventaires varie entre les différents types de magasins. En général, les coopératives ne profitent pas des autres moyens de transport (routiers et par voie d’eau) là où elles le pourraient. Cela n’est pas dû à leur situation géographique, mais c’est plutôt le reflet d’un manque d’expérience en gestion ou simplement d’un manque de motivation à réaliser des profits.Mots clés: vente d’alimentation au détail, Territoires du Nord-Ouest, moyen, structure de vente de détail, gestion, Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson, coopératives, magasins indépendant

Bridging the gap between theory and practice in climate change vulnerability assessments for remote Indigenous communities in northern Australia

This paper considers the Australian federal government’s approach to climate adaptation policy for remote northern Indigenous communities through the close examination of a seminal Scoping Study. This approach is taken to illustrate the lag between adaptation theory and practice, and to highlight important considerations to enable the development of a just and effective policy. The analysis suggests that policy in this area would benefit from the further consideration of three factors, namely the role of uncertainty in climate policy, the need for meaningful consultation with communities, and the benefit of integrating contextual and bottom-up assessment of vulnerability with decision-making in an iterative manner. The paper concludes by suggesting that the current approach to vulnerability assessment is insufficiently nuanced to allow an adequate appreciation of factors that influence social vulnerability in remote communities, and consequently, policy developed from it is likely to be ineffective

How to make climate change research relevant for Indigenous communities in Torres Strait, Australia

Several Torres Strait communities have significant infrastructure and sacred sites located only a few metres above sea level. As a consequence, these areas are vulnerable to erosion due to the projected increase in storm surge intensity caused by climate change. Common sense suggests that Islanders would welcome new scientific research about how climate change might affect them, in order to understand the significance of these impacts and the timeframes involved. However, one leader has taken a seemingly counterintuitive stance, and has refused to let new climate research occur. We explore why this position was taken, and the implications of this decision for ongoing scientific research. In order to carry out this analysis, we provide a contextual background by assessing Islanders’ recent experience with scientific researchers, and the response of policy-makers to it. We find that despite a clearly documented problem with “top-down” decision-making, this process remains. In this instance, we find that there is a systemic lack of collaboration with Islanders to allow them to prioritise their concerns, and a lack of adequate resources to allow them to build their resilience to climate impacts. We conclude that only through a genuine collaborative approach to climate adaptation can activities be properly developed, prioritised and undertaken

Effect of Speech Recognition Testing on Self-Reported State Anxiety

The effect of difficult listening situations on anxiety levels has not been tested on middle-aged adult and older adult populations. In order to determine if a relationship exists between difficult listening situations and anxiety levels, self-reported levels of state anxiety were measured pre- and post-speech recognition testing in young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Four measures of speech recognition where used: the Revised-Speech Perception in Noise test (R-SPIN), the Quick Speech-in-Noise test (QSIN), the Words-in-Noise test (WIN), and the VA Dichotic Digits test. Thirty young adults with normal hearing, 19 middle-aged adults with minimal sensory-neural hearing loss, and 17 older adults with no more than a moderately-severe sensory-neural hearing loss participated. Results revealed no significant differences in state anxiety levels as a function of age. Within each age group, significant increases in anxiety levels were found. Young adults had significant increases in anxiety levels post-Dichotic Digits. Middle-aged adults had significant increases in anxiety levels post-RSPIN, post-QSIN, post-WIN, and post-Dichotic Digits. Older adults had significant increases in anxiety levels post-QSIN and post-Dichotic Digits. Changes in state anxiety levels were variable within each age group and did not follow any trends, except for an overall increase in anxiety levels post-Dichotic Digits test. Speech recognition testing performance in young adults and middle-aged adults was comparable on all four measures of speech recognition. Older adult speech recognition testing performance was significantly poorer than both young and middle-aged adults on all four measures of speech recognition. Results of the present study suggest that changes in state anxiety are variable by individual, but do not necessarily affect performance on speech recognition testing. However, consistent increases in anxiety levels for Dichotic Digits suggests that additional counseling and encouragement could be beneficial to patient comfort.This research was supported by The Ohio State University’s College of Arts and Sciences Honors Committee and The Ohio State University’s Social and Behavioral SciencesNo embargoAcademic Major: Speech and Hearing Scienc

Self-affirmation improves self-control over snacking among participants low in eating self-efficacy

bjective: Individuals low in eating self-efficacy are at particular risk of engaging in unhealthy eating behaviours, including the consumption of high calorie snacks. The elevated levels of snacking displayed by these individuals can largely be attributed to their experiencing low self-control over the avoidance of such foods (Hankonen, Kinnunen, Absetz, & Jallinoja, 2014). Interventions are thus required to boost self-control over snacking among those low in eating self-efficacy. Self-affirmation has been shown to boost self-control among individuals with depleted resources in other domains (Schmeichel & Vohs, 2009). The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that a self-affirmation manipulation would similarly increase self-control over snacking for individuals low in eating self-efficacy. Methods: At baseline, participants (N = 70) completed measures of dietary restraint and eating self-efficacy. In the main study, participants completed either a self-affirmation or a control task immediately before undertaking a joystick category judgment task that assessed self-control over snacking. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed the predicted significant interaction between eating self-efficacy and self-affirmation, demonstrating that self-affirmation moderated the association between eating self-efficacy and self-control over snacking. Johnson-Neyman regions of significance confirmed that for participants low in eating self-efficacy the self-affirmation manipulation resulted in higher levels of self-control. Unexpectedly, however, for participants high in eating self-efficacy the self-affirmation manipulation was found to be associated with lower levels of self-control. Conclusions: Findings supported the hypothesis that a self-affirmation manipulation would boost self-control over snacking among individuals low in eating self-efficacy. Self-affirmation may thus provide a useful technique for strengthening self-control in relation to the avoidance of unhealthy foods among individuals who find it difficult to manage challenging dietary situations