Mystery Shopper Research Articles

Slippery Fish: Enforcing Regulation Under Subversive Adaptation

Attempts to curb illegal activity through regulation gets complicated when agents can adapt to circumvent enforcement. Economic theory suggests that conducting audits on a predictable schedule, and (counter-intuitively) at high frequency, can undermine the effectiveness of audits. We conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial to test these ideas by auditing Chilean vendors selling illegal fish. Vendors circumvent penalties through hidden sales and other means, which we track using mystery shoppers. Instituting monitoring visits on an unpredictable schedule is more effective at reducing illegal sales. High frequency monitoring to prevent displacement across weekdays to other markets backfires, because targeted agents learn faster and cheat more effectively. Sophisticated policy design is therefore crucial for determining the sustained, longer-term effects of enforcement. A simpler demand-side information campaign generates two-thirds of the gains compared to the most effective monitoring scheme, it is easier for the government to implement, and is almost as cost-effective. The government subsequently chose to scale up that simpler strategy.

Financial Decisions and Financial Regulation: Three Concepts of Performance Based Regulation

This chapter discusses the basis for and concepts of implementing performance based measures in financial regulation. Drawing on empirical methods and insights generated in the field of behavioural economics theoretical considerations and alternative measurements of services and disclosure performance are presented. The behavioural economics inspired approaches rely on control and treatment group comparisons and come in three shapes: concepts analysing existing administrative and financial data counting the number of dominated choices; data from laboratory experiments simulating consumer decisions given provided services counting the frequency of dominated choices and products and data from randomized controlled trials/field experiments in the form of mystery shopper experiments, again counting dominated choices. Each of these are discussed in detail. These concepts differ from alternative, more traditional, approaches that would include economic analysis of incentives and or direct measures of confusion created by information provided, such as computational linguistics, to capture financial service performance.

What’s so Mysterious about Mystery Shoppers? Understanding the Qualifications and Selection of Mystery Shoppers

ABSTRACTMystery shopping are a method of quality management that is utilized often in a variety of businesses. A holistic definition of a mystery shopper is, however, unclear. Literature relating to mystery shoppers was reviewed and analyzed through content analysis, to develop criteria which can be used to define a mystery shopper. The various traits identified were divided into personal traits, training elements, company considerations. The results of the paper provide a thorough analysis of the various traits that constitute a mystery shopper.

Quality of oxytocin ampoules available in health care facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo: an exploratory study in five provinces.

BackgroundOxytocin injection is the first line therapy for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal mortality. Currently access to high quality oxytocin in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is compromised by variable manufacturing quality and the requirement for cold chain supply and storage to prevent product deterioration. Previous studies of oxytocin ampoules sampled from Africa, the region with highest maternal mortality rates, indicate that over half do not contain the specified amount of oxytocin. International efforts continue to further understand the issues relating to oxytocin quality in LMICs and this study is the first to assess oxytocin quality in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that bears one of the highest global rates of maternal mortality (693 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births). Importantly, the study methodology includes the use of investigative analytical techniques to understand the cause of quality deficiencies and inform remedial measures.MethodsThe study involved sampling of oxytocin injection ampoules from public and private health care facilities (n = 15) in urban and rural areas within five provinces of the DRC. Where available, each sample comprised 20 ampoules of oxytocin injection (10 IU/mL) with smaller numbers collected where supplies were limited. Sample collection used overt sampling and mystery shopper approaches, as appropriate. Analysis of ampoules for oxytocin content and known degradation products utilised validated HPLC and LCMS methods, respectively. Sterility testing was conducted in accordance with the United States Pharmacopeia monograph.ResultsEighty percent of ampoules collected contained less than 90% of the specified content. Known degradation products of oxytocin were identified, indicating likely exposure to elevated temperatures post-manufacture. All samples contained an unknown impurity at a level of approximately 12.3% (8.0-20.5%) of the oxytocin main band peak. No samples failed sterility testing.ConclusionsThere is evidence of a high prevalence of poor quality oxytocin ampoules in health facilities in the DRC likely resulting from both manufacturing quality issues and uncontrolled storage. A more comprehensive post-marketing surveillance study of oxytocin quality is warranted.

Endomarketing strategies in the coffee shops industry

Nowadays there is no recognize coffee shop franchise that is not well positioned due to its marketing plan or better known as marketing strategy. A great example of this is Starbucks coffee, which has become one of the most powerful franchises in the world and its empire is due to several factors such as its internal strategies, which have a direct influence in motivation, sense of belonging and empowerment of its employees. The present paper analyzed the main strategies of Endomarketing in this industry and carried out a study in the chains of cafeterias of the city of Samborondon, Ecuador; applying the mystery shopper methodology they were identified the main factors that have been recognized in the Endomarketing strategy of these cafeterias, obtaining as result a high and moderate business philosophy approach and analyzing the most identifiable Endomarketing approaches observed. CITACION: Sempertegui Seminario, C., & Bravo Mendoza, D. (2018). Endomarketing strategies in the coffee shops industry. Podium, 34, 21-34. doi:10.31095/podium.2018.34.2 ENLACE DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31095/podium.2018.34.2

Quality of medicines in southern Togo: Investigation of antibiotics and of medicines for non-communicable diseases from pharmacies and informal vendors.

Substandard and falsified medicines represent a serious threat for public health and patient safety. Especially in low and middle-income countries, the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines is reportedly high. However, reliable information on the prevalence of poor-quality medicines is scarce. In this study, 12 essential medicines, including antibiotics, antidiabetics, cardiac drugs and antiasthmatic drugs, were collected from six informal vendors and six licensed pharmacies in the southern part of Togo (regions Maritime and Plateaux). A mystery shopper approach was used in both types of outlets. In total, 64 samples were collected from licensed pharmacies and 30 from informal vendors. Both availability of medicines and prices of medicines were higher in licensed pharmacies than in informal vendors. 92 medicine samples were analyzed by visual examination, followed by chemical analysis for the content and for the dissolution of the active pharmaceutical ingredients according to the respective monographs of the United States Pharmacopoeia. 7 samples (8%) did not comply with the pharmacopoeial specifications, and one sample (1%) showed even extreme deviations. None of the samples was obviously falsified. However, one sample of amoxicillin capsules contained only 47% of the declared content of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, indicating that it may represent amoxicillin capsules 250 mg, rather than 500mg as declared on the label. Medicines stated to originate from Asia (i.e. mainly from India and China) showed a significantly higher proportion (24%) of non-compliant samples than those from Africa and Europe (4%, p = 0.007). High failure rates were observed in medicines both from informal vendors (13%) and from licensed pharmacies (5%), but the difference between both groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.152). The observed high prevalence of substandard medicines requires action from regulatory authorities and health care providers. Testing of selected samples for related substances indicated that inappropriate transport and storage conditions may have been an important cause for substandard quality.

Access to medicaid providers: availability of mental health services for children and adolescents in child welfare in Louisiana

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the study was to determine the level of access that youths in child welfare have to mental health providers in a single state. Mystery shoppers called every provider publicly advertised in Medicaid managed care organization networks. Results showed that 25.4% of the advertised network was able to schedule a new appointment for a child in Department of Children and Family Services guardianship. There were 9.7 accessible providers of any discipline (MD, PhD, or licensed masters-level clinician) per 10,000 Medicaid-enrolled youths in the population. The level of access to MDs was 4.1 times lower than the nationally recommended level.

Can vendors’ age limit control measures increase compliance with the alcohol age limit? An evaluation of measures implemented by three Dutch liquor store chains

BackgroundDutch liquor store (off license) chains have voluntarily developed and implemented age limit control measures to increase compliance with the Licensing and Catering Act (LCA), aimed at prohibiting vendors from selling alcohol to minors (<18 years old). This study investigates differences between three liquor store chains in their style of self-regulation and how that affects compliance with the LCA in four domains (capturing processes in age verification, instructing staff, monitoring performance/providing feedback and imposing consequences). MethodsA mixed-method design was used. In depth-interviews (n = 3) were conducted with chains’ head office managers, gaining insight into control measures. Survey (n = 372) research was conducted to measure liquor store owners’ perceptions of implementation. Mystery shop (n = 387) research was conducted to measure compliance of store owners with the LCA. Survey and mystery shopping data was linked (n = 179) for the indicated perceived risk of inspection. ResultsThe interviews indicated that control measures differ across chains in comprehensiveness and degree of implementation, survey results showed corresponding differences across the chains. Linked results showed that liquor store owners who perceive a very high risk of inspection, showed higher ID requesting rates (chain 2 and 3: 93% and 99%) and compliance rates (chain 2 and 3: 77% and 86%), respectively. This effect may be amplified by a set of measures (e.g., by implementing age verification systems, increasing training, monitoring performances and/or imposing consequences) and could result in higher ID request rates (chain 1: 54% versus chain 2 and 3: both 95%) and compliance rates (chain 1: 35% versus chain 2 and 3: both 80%). ConclusionA comprehensive and systematic implementation of specific combinations of control measures in all four domains resulted in high compliance rates up to 80%. Nevertheless, the expectation is that this effect can only be attained when complemented by external government enforcement efforts.

What Happens to the Data Collected When Libraries Use Undercover Agents?

Mystery shoppers deceive front-line personnel into believing that they are real customers. They provide their observations in a natural setting and relate evidence useful for planning, staff development, and organizational accountability. Given the coverage of mystery shopping in the literature for more than a decade, this study explores which of those public libraries currently use such shopping.

Ecoturism Potential and his Sustainable Development Oportunities in the Border Region between Slovakia and Poland

The aim of the paper is to identify the current state of ecotourism in Slovak - Polish borderlands. The research aims to identify the eco-tourism infrastructure, the motivation for using these facilities (by nationality) and economic behavior of tourists both on the Slovak and on the Polish side. The studied geographic zone is the area of the Western Carpathians in the Kysucka vysocina (Slovakia) and Beskyd Źywiecki districts in Poland. Ecotourism has tradition in Slovakia since the 1960s. Unlike the Polish countryside, in Slovakia many agricultural activities have disappeared or transformed in the given period. This allowed the development of cottage tourism and rural tourism, which in Slovak conditions is, besides agrotourism, the most prominent representative of ecotourism. Slovakia, alongside Scandinavia, France, Italy and the Czech Republic, is among the leading European countries with a high share of second homes. After 1990, agro-tourism has been dynamized in Slovakia and Poland. For the studied area we consider the centers of Cadca in Slovak and Źywiec on the Polish side - including their recreational background. In research were used methods of statistical analyzes of public data, field recognitioning, mystery shopping, but also qualitative methods for determining the tourist and economic behavior of ecotourism clients of the area under research. The study should highlight the real motives of eco-tourists' participation, the economic potential of ecotourism in the area and the main shortcomings that limit the future development of ecotourism. Keywords: Ecoturism, Slovak – Polish border region, motives for eco turism, tourists eco behavior

It Works, But For Whom? Examining Racial Bias in Carding Experiences and Acceptance of a County Identification Card

Purpose: Policies that restrict access to U.S. government-issued photo identification (ID) cards adversely affect multiple marginalized communities. This context impedes access to health-promoting resources that increasingly require government-issued IDs and exacerbates health inequities. In 2015, Washtenaw County, Michigan, implemented the Washtenaw ID to improve access to resources contingent upon having an ID. We employed an audit study to examine whether Washtenaw ID users experienced racially biased treatment in carding experiences and acceptance of the Washtenaw ID.Methods: Seven 25- to 32-year-old mystery shoppers (two Latina, three black, and two white women) attempted to purchase a standardized basket of goods, including an age-restricted item in Washtenaw County stores (n=130 shopping experiences). We examined whether experiences of being asked for ID and acceptance of the Washtenaw ID varied by race/ethnicity.Results: Each shopper visited 9–22 stores. Shoppers were asked for ID in 63.1% of shopping experiences. Of these, the Washtenaw ID was accepted 91.5% of the time. Among those who were asked for ID, a higher percentage of Latina (16.0%) shoppers had their Washtenaw IDs rejected than black (6.3%) and white (4.0%) shoppers, although differences were not statistically significant (p=0.27). Latina shoppers had 2.9 times the odds of receiving a comment about their Washtenaw ID relative to white shoppers (OR=2.92, p=0.08), comments that were nonpositive.Conclusion: Local IDs may improve access to resources contingent upon having an ID. However, racialization processes, including anti-immigrant sentiments, may inhibit the mitigating goal of local IDs. Continued attention to the health equity impacts of equity-driven interventions is warranted.

We’ve shopped before: Exploring instructions as an influence on mystery shopper reporting

Western retail experience balances between customer expectations and experience in the service exchange. Retailers set on customer service improvement often use mystery shoppers to gauge alignment between intended service and client experience. This exploratory research considers how instructions typically used by mystery shopping providers impact the diagnostic value of data gathered, and whether those instructions become superseded by hired shopper experiences and cultural behavioral expectations. This work suggests the industry tacitly relies on mystery shoppers to leverage cultural knowledge to deliver insights, and that even robust instructional changes may not significantly change the reporting of mercenary shoppers.

The mystery shopper student learning experience in undergraduate health education: A case study

The mystery shopper student learning experience in undergraduate health education: A case study

A Preliminary inquiry into the Information Experiences of Canada's Wireless Consumers

This paper reports on one phase of a larger telecommunications consumer rights and access-to-justice project framed by Canada's Wireless Code of Conduct (2014). Two pilot studies involving 12 mystery shopper interactions, and 16 qualitative interviews of wireless consumers are reported. Preliminary findings suggest ways the consumer’s perspective in Canada’s wireless services, legal and informational, ecology could be strengthened.

A Multilevel Tailored Web App-Based Intervention for Linking Young Men Who Have Sex With Men to Quality Care (Get Connected): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundHIV epidemic among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) is characterized by strong racial disparities and concerns about the availability and access to culturally appropriate HIV prevention and care service delivery. Get Connected, a Web-based intervention that employs individual- and system-level tailoring technology to reduce barriers to HIV prevention care (eg, HIV or sexually transmitted infection [STI] testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis [PrEP]), was developed for YMSM (age 15-24 years). This protocol details the design and procedures of a 2-phase project that includes mystery shopping and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of Get Connected among YMSM in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Houston.ObjectiveThe objective of mystery shopping is to examine the quality of HIV test counseling and PrEP-related referrals for YMSM within local HIV or STI testing sites. The objective of the RCT is to test the efficacy of Get Connected for increasing HIV-negative or HIV-unknown YMSM’s successful uptake of HIV prevention services (eg, routine HIV or STI testing), PrEP awareness, and likelihood to start PrEP (PrEP willingness), compared with those in the control condition, over a 12-month period.MethodsFor Phase 1, we will create a master list of HIV and STI testing sites in each city. We will enroll and train 10-15 mystery shoppers per city; each testing site will be separately visited and assessed by 2 mystery shoppers. After each site visit, the mystery shoppers will complete a site evaluation to record their perceptions of various measures including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer visibility and inclusivity, privacy and confidentiality, provider-patient interactions, and clinic environment. For Phase 2, we will enroll 480 YMSM for 12 months across the 3 iTech cities into a 2-arm prospective RCT. Participants randomized to the control condition are directed to the AIDSVu.org testing site locator. Participants randomized to the intervention condition will be granted access to a Web app with content tailored to their specific demographic characteristics (eg, age, race or ethnicity, location, and relationship status), HIV and STI risk behaviors (eg, HIV and STI testing history, substance use, communication with partners regarding status) and sociocultural context (eg, homelessness, incarceration). Study assessments will occur at enrollment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postenrollment.ResultsGet Connected research activities began in September 2016 and are ongoing. To date, institutional review board (IRB) submission is complete and IRB authorization agreements are pending at several other universities.ConclusionsThe deployment of Get Connected through a mobile-optimized Web app seeks to optimize the intervention’s acceptability, accessibility, availability, and long-term affordability among YMSM.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03132415); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03132415 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70j4gSFbZ)Registered Report IdentifierRR1-10.2196/10444

Mystery shopping: demand-side phenomena in markets for personal plight legal services

ABSTRACT“Personal plight” is the sector of the legal services industry in which the clients are individuals, and the legal needs arise from disputes. This article proposes that competition among personal plight law firms is suppressed by three demand-side phenomena. First, consumers confront high search costs. Identifying competing law firms willing and able to provide the needed services often requires significant expenditure of temporal and psychological resources. Second, comparable price and quality information about firms is scarce for consumers. Both of these factors impede comparison shopping and reduce competitive pressure on firms. A third competition-suppressing factor is observed in tort legal service markets, where offerings are typically priced on a contingency basis. Contingency fees have relatively low salience to consumers, and this reduces consumers’ willingness to negotiate and comparison-shop on the basis of price. This analysis is supported by the author’s empirical research with Ontario personal plight lawyers as well as the existing literature. The article concludes by suggesting possible consequences of this analysis for regulatory policy.

Effects of a responsible retailing mystery shop intervention on age verification by servers and clerks in alcohol outlets: A cluster randomised cross-over trial.

Clerks and servers at alcohol establishments often fail to verify age. Using mystery shoppers to provide performance feedback is one approach to improving age verification. Few controlled studies have evaluated mystery shop interventions. This paper reports on a cluster randomised cross-over trial of a mystery shop intervention in 16 communities in four US states. The intervention comprised monthly mystery shops after which clerks and servers received immediate feedback to reinforce age verification. Managers received monthly reports. Communities in each state were matched into pairs and, following a 3-month baseline, were randomly assigned within each pair to receive the intervention beginning after the fourth (Early Intervention) or the tenth (Delayed Intervention) mystery shop. On average, 17 (range = 14-20) randomly selected on-premises and 18 (range = 11-23) off-premises outlets participated in each community (N = 557). Fixed effects multi-level logistic regressions indicated that the intervention led to a two-fold increase in the odds of age verification, odds ratio (OR) = 2.05; P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.76, 2.39. Overall, ID-checking increased from an average of 80% pre-intervention to 94-96% by the end of the program. Significant effects were found for on-premises, OR = 1.79; P < 0.001; 95% CI 1.43, 2.24, and off-premises establishments, OR = 2.29; P < 0.001; 95% CI 1.86, 2.82. Mystery shop interventions can increase age verification for alcohol purchases and may be an effective supplement to compliance checks and responsible beverage service programs.

Influence of Demographic Constructs on Motivation and Job Satisfaction among Mystery Shoppers

Influence of Demographic Constructs on Motivation and Job Satisfaction among Mystery Shoppers

Pharmacists in dispensing drugs (PharmDisp): protocol for a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of distance education in training pharmacists for dispensing drugs

Dispensing drug is a moment in which the pharmacist is able to analyze pharmacotherapy and contribute to its rational use. However, research has shown that some pharmacists lack adequate knowledge to perform this service. This study aims to describe a research protocol for a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a distance learning program to train pharmacists in dispensing drugs. This is a protocol for an open diagnostic, non-randomized, single group clinical trial. A 12-week duration distance learning course was structured on the Moodle platform for training community pharmacists who are registered in the Regional Board of Pharmacy and work as employees or owners in Brazilian community pharmacies. The course curricula involves concepts and practice of dispensing drugs applied to the treatment of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and asthma. Pharmacists are divided randomly into groups, to which previously selected tutors give directions to the discussion and clarify questions. A validated questionnaire is being used before and after the course to measure participants’ knowledge. Participant satisfaction with the course is also being measured. Pharmacists who work in the study headquarters municipality receive two visits from a mystery shopper, before and after the course, to evaluate their performance in dispensing drugs. The virtual platform and the content of the course material were evaluated by judges. The study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo. The sample size was estimated to provide desired power for testing the significance of the difference between baseline-to-endpoint change scores. Information about the course is being released through channels such as social networks. The results will be submitted for publication in scientific journals, but information enabling the identification of the study subjects will be kept confidential. The trial has been registered in The Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry with number RBR7mbrp3 on January 15th, 2015.

Identifying National Availability of Abortion Care and Distance From Major US Cities: Systematic Online Search.

BackgroundAbortion is a common medical procedure, yet its availability has become more limited across the United States over the past decade. Women who do not know where to go for abortion care may use the internet to find abortion facility information, and there appears to be more online searches for abortion in states with more restrictive abortion laws. While previous studies have examined the distances women must travel to reach an abortion provider, to our knowledge no studies have used a systematic online search to document the geographic locations and services of abortion facilities.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to describe abortion facilities and services available in the United States from the perspective of a potential patient searching online and to identify US cities where people must travel the farthest to obtain abortion care.MethodsIn early 2017, we conducted a systematic online search for abortion facilities in every state and the largest cities in each state. We recorded facility locations, types of abortion services available, and facility gestational limits. We then summarized the frequencies by region and state. If the online information was incomplete or unclear, we called the facility using a mystery shopper method, which simulates the perspective of patients calling for services. We also calculated distance to the closest abortion facility from all US cities with populations of 50,000 or more.ResultsWe identified 780 facilities through our online search, with the fewest in the Midwest and South. Over 30% (236/780, 30.3%) of all facilities advertised the provision of medication abortion services only; this proportion was close to 40% in the Northeast (89/233, 38.2%) and West (104/262, 39.7%). The lowest gestational limit at which services were provided was 12 weeks in Wyoming; the highest was 28 weeks in New Mexico. People in 27 US cities must travel over 100 miles (160 km) to reach an abortion facility; the state with the largest number of such cities is Texas (n=10).ConclusionsOnline searches can provide detailed information about the location of abortion facilities and the types of services they provide. However, these facilities are not evenly distributed geographically, and many large US cities do not have an abortion facility. Long distances can push women to seek abortion in later gestations when care is even more limited.