Browsing by Subject "Consumer satisfaction"
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Item An exploration of factors affecting customer satisfaction with selected history museum stores(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Rogers, Margaret LynnThe purpose of this research was to investigate customer satisfaction of visitors to history museum stores. In addition, the relationships between customer satisfaction and demographics, nostalgia proneness, satisfaction with the museum and general life satisfaction were investigated. Participants in the study were adult visitors to the Kanseis Museum of History in Topeka, Kanscis, the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Panhandle Plains History Museum in Canyon, Texas, during the spring of 1998. The selfadministered questionnaire was completed by 196 participants who had made purchases in the museum store. To elicit information on Nostalgia Proneness, Holbrook's Nostalgia Index was used. A 5-point Likert-type scale anchored with "Terrible" and "Delighted" was used to measure customer satisfaction. The sample consisted of 70% women with a mean age range of 60-69 years. The mean gross annual income for the participants was from $50,000 to $59,000, and 66.0% of the sample had completed college or beyond. The majority of participants (55.9%) were on their first visit to the museum and were accompanied by 1 -5 companions. Most respondents (81.7%) purchased fewer than five items, spent between $10.01 and $20.00, and purchased more items (56.1 %) for others than for themselves. Spearman's rho correlations revealed that three variables: age of participant, place of residence, and those experiencing their first visit to the museum had low. positive relationships with customer satisfaction. No statistically significant relationship weis found between nostalgia proneness and customer satisfaction. However, correlations did reveal strong positive relationships between satisfaction with the museum, general life satisfaction, and satisfaction with the museum store. Multiple regression techniques to determine the relative importance of variables to customer satisfaction indicated that satisfaction with the museum had a greater significance in the explanation of customer satisfaction than did general life satisfaction.Item Customer perceptions for expectations and acceptance of an authentic dining experience in Thai restaurants(Texas Tech University, 2004-12) Sukalakamala, PiyavanMulticulturalism is an intrinsic part of the historical formation and development of the United States. The U.S. is also a multiethnic and multilingual society, a trend that will increase in the future (US Census Bureau, 1990). One of the important components of ethnicity is expressed in the manner in which ethnic groups prepare and serve their food. Every group uses a distinct method of cooking and traditional ingredients in their dishes. Ethnic foods represent a dynamic and evolving category. Over time foods that were considered ethnic, like pizza, have become a part of the mainstream in the American diet. Most recently, restaurateurs are beginning to mix and combine the influences and traditions from a variety of ethnic origins in a fusion of cuisines and flavors. Today, Thai food is very popular. Many Thai restaurants open each year in the U.S. to meet the needs of the Thai population and others. Today in the U.S., Westerners are more accepting of international cuisines than before. Most Thai restaurant owners are Thais who may or may not have experience in the restaurant business. It is important for restaurateurs to know consumer demand before opening a restaurant due to the high rate of restaurant failures. Sometimes the ambience of the restaurant will greatly effect customer preferences because they are not familiar with the new setting, so they may feel uncomfortable while dining. An example is eating with chopsticks at a Chinese restaurant or sitting on the floor to eat in a Japanese restaurant. The purpose of this study is to investigate: 1) customers' authentic expectation for food, as well as the overall experience 2) the amount of authenticity customers can accept in a future Thai restaurant experience and 3) what customers want Thai restaurants to provide them with when they go for the dining experience. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed to guests in five Thai restaurants in the United States. A total of 247 completed questionnaires were returned (98.8%). The majority of the respondents were between the ages of 21- 30 years old (25.5%). Seventy-six percents of survey responses identified themselves as White Americans. Fifty-four percents of the subjects were married. The majority of survey respondents indicated that they had achieved at least a college degree and 35.6% of subjects had an annual income of more than $80,000. A descriptive analysis indicated subjects who had higher incomes and were well educated scored higher having a practical and positive attitude on an authentic Thai restaurant. An additional portion of the survey indicated that the majority of customers did not have a higher expectation of employees and traditional Thai influences like decorations and atmosphere while the taste of the cuisine are indicated to be the most important component in their dining experience at a Thai restaurant.Item Do losers matter? : an experimental look at the impact of control and scarcity on satisfaction with an online buying experience(2002-05) Dunn, Sharon Ann; Barua, AniteshOnline auctions are growing in popularity. While tangible differences exist between posted-price buying environments and auctions, there has been little research about how these differences impact the evaluation of the buying experience. This study proposes that buyer satisfaction with a purchasing experience can be influenced by subtle social influences in the buying experience. Differences in buying mechanisms result from perceived social interaction (the perception that the buyer is interacting with other people) of the buying experience. Perceived interaction with others can impact buyer satisfaction in two key ways. These are 1) the perception of control in the price-setting and 2) the perception of scarcity in the buying process. Increased perceived social interaction changes the psychological experience of consumers. Drawing on theory in the social psychology field, this research develops hypotheses about how these differences impact consumer evaluation of satisfaction with the buying experience. Increased perceived control in price-setting was hypothesized to increase buyer satisfaction with the buying experience. An increase in the scarcity of the item relative to the number of interested buyers in the market was expected to impact satisfaction positively as well. An online buying environment was constructed to test these hypotheses experimentally. Using an online experimental market with both posted-prices and an auction, this research compared the satisfaction of consumers using each buying mechanism under different levels of scarcity. Experimental results demonstrated an interaction effect between control and scarcity. Satisfaction was significantly higher in conditions that perceived more control when scarcity was high than in conditions of low scarcity. Conditions in which the demand for items exceeded the supply reported greater satisfaction with the buying experience than those conditions where there were enough items for every interested buyer. The highest satisfaction was found under the combined conditions of high control and high scarcity. The Internet presents new choices in buying mechanisms. This research emphasizes that subtle differences in buying environments can change the evaluation of consumers. It contributes to an increased understanding of the impact that differences in buying mechanisms can have on buyer evaluation of the purchase process.Item Golf event sports tourists: Behavioral intentions and preceptions of service quality, value, satisfaction, and image(2011-12) Huang, Hsing-ling; Goh, Ben K.; Wang, Eugene W.; Yuan, JingxueThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships that exist between service quality, satisfaction, value and how they impact sporting event image and sponsors‟ corporate brand image in relation to behavioral intentions toward the sporting event and sponsors. Structural equation modeling techniques were applied to data collected from 518 sport tourists in a professional golf event. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the CFA measurement model was a good fit (CFI = .968, TLI = .961, RMSEA = .054, SRMR = .040). The structural model was a good fit (CFI = .968, TLI = .961, RMSEA = .054, SRMR = .040). It was found that there were significant relationships between the variables except for six parameters. The six statistically insignificant parameters were the effects of perceived value and service quality on behavioral intentions toward the sporting event, satisfaction and service quality on behavioral intentions toward the sponsoring corporations, perceived value on sporting event image, and satisfaction on corporate brand image. Moreover, the findings indicated that sporting event image and satisfaction had a significant influence on behavioral intentions toward the sporting event. Corporate brand image and perceived value had a significant effect on behavioral intentions toward the sponsoring corporations. Service quality and satisfaction had a significant influence on sporting event image. Service quality, perceived value and sporting event image had a significant influence on corporate brand image. Service quality and perceived value had influence on satisfaction. Service quality is highly predictive of perceived value. The results imply that high quality service created tourist value and satisfaction, thus resulting in favorable image, and ultimately leading to positive behavioral intentions toward the event and sponsors. The importance of service evaluations of a sporting event should be recognized by both event organizers and sports sponsors. The study provides an overall approach of service evaluations in the sport tourism context. It is believed that the model of the current study could be meaningful in prediction of sport tourists‟ behavioral intentions toward the sporting event and sponsoring corporations. Therefore, the comprehensive model of this study contributes to providing a theoretical frame of reference for future studies.Item Modeling consumer responses to negative disconfirmation of expectations: an empirical investigation using item response theory based measures(Texas Tech University, 1985-08) Singh, JagdipNot availableItem Selling styles and performance effectiveness: the relationship between interpersonal selling behaviors and customer satisfaction with the exchange(Texas Tech University, 1988-05) Rhoads, Gary K.Item The identification of pre-registration models of community colleges in Texas and the comparison of student satisfactoin with each model(Texas Tech University, 2001-05) Bell, Joyce ReneaThe primary purpose of this research project was to conduct an in-depth, comprehensive study of student satisfaction associated with models of pre-registration in community colleges in Texas. As a result, this research: (1) identified the preregistration models currently used by Texas community colleges; and (2) determined the effects of pre-registration model and school size on student satisfaction.Item The phenomena of design influence on consumer involvement and image formation in a winery tourism setting(Texas Tech University, 2000-08) Elgin, Linda A.C.E.People are spending an ever-greater time living in environments built by design professionals. Unlike design applications that have become standardized, composite interiors in "industrial tourism" such as a winery, must combine standards to create a new hybrid design. Seven designers were asked to select winery photographs based on their overall aesthetic design attributes to be used as generating markers for a winery tourism sight in the study. As wineries struggle to survive in a competitive market environment, vertical integration of products and services becomes vital to their continued success. Alternative profit centers such as tourism is popular within the industry, however little research has been conducted to date that has explored consumer preferences for aesthetic design aspects of a winery utilized as a marketing tool. Participants in the study were drawn from a global pool of potential respondents on the Internet. This population constitutes a stratified random sample of wine consumers who located and responded to the survey during the three-week posting period. The completed self-report questionnaire [n = 1 22] was submitted electronically and downloaded into an Access database for MANOVA, ANOVA, and correlation statistical analysis. Results indicated that winery aesthetic preferences of the sample were for lawn approaches, courtyard or walkway grounds, and cellar interiors. There were no significant differences in variance between demographics and psychographics. Analysis for involvement and image showed a positive correlation for both groups.Item The role of expectations, ambiguity of information, and initial impressions in consumer satisfaction assessments: a process oriented approach(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) McClure, Nancy RyanInterest in the field of consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction has grown at a phenomenal rate over the last decade. As markets are become increasingly competitive both nationally and internationally, organizations are recognizing the critical nature of cultivating and maintaining satisfied and, thus (presumably), loyal customers (TARP 1986). Even so, it has been estimated that one in five shopping experiences leads to some form of consumer dissatisfaction (Andreasen and Best 1977). The dissatisfied consumer may be a lost consumer forever and the cost of losing a consumer usually exceeds the cost of trying to satisfy and retain a consumer (Clark et al. 1992). According to Rosenberg and Czepiel (1983), the effect on company profits is a $118 loss for every lost consumer, while the cost of trying to maintain a satisfied consumer is only $20. Despite the interest of marketers, the prevalence of dissatisfied consumers persists and is a costly problem. The research presented here attempts to address the still-unanswered questions behind both the causes and consequences of (dis)satisfaction. The research incorporates a proven, though often criticized, model of consumer satisfaction (the disconfirmation of expectations paradigm) in an attempt to specify the conditions under which a consumer may arrive at a (dis)satisfaction assessment.Item Trust and trustworthiness in professional-cleint relationships: procurement of architect/engineer services by Texas municipalities(Texas Tech University, 2004-12) Lawson, William D.This study explores the nature and role of trust and trustworthiness in professional-client relationships expressed in competitive professional services procurement decisions where qualifications-based selection is used to retain an architect/engineer consultant. Data were obtained from a sample of 205 municipalities, and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of four kinds of trusting beliefs - dispositional trust, trust as assessment of trustworthiness, encapsulated interest, and institutional restraints against opportunism - on trusting attitudes. The direct and indirect effects of trusting attitudes on trust outcomes - namely, procurement choice, client satisfaction, and loyalty - were also tested. Trust was defined to exist at both the organizational (firm) and personal (firm representative) levels. As predicted, a trusting attitude - which is the key to realizing behavioral manifestations of trust - is directly and strongly governed by the client's beliefs, especially relative to the trustworthiness of the consultant. Client perceptions of trustworthiness serve as the gatekeeper toward trusting attitudes. By creating, sustaining and growing trustworthiness which lies squarely within the purview of the consultant community - it is consultants, not clients, who control this aspect of their own destiny. This study also revealed three bottom line outcomes of trusting for the consultant community: First, trust is a project qualifier, not a project winner. Clients base the procurement decision on factors other than trust, but a consulting firm will not even get the opportunity to be considered for a project if that consultant is not trusted. Second, trust drives client satisfaction. This study indicates that trust is more influential in creating client satisfaction than timeliness, service quality, or fee. Third, satisfaction and trust drive loyalty. Consultants who enjoy repeat business get this business from satisfied clients. Satisfied clients trust their consultants, and trusted consultants are trustworthy. Trustworthiness is the first virtue of professional life.