Positive Consumer Responses Research Articles

An Overview of Automotive Home and Neighborhood Refueling

Home refueling helped address the fuel availability issue for gasoline vehicles a century ago; it may still have important implications for alternative fuel vehicles today. The positive consumer response and lessons learned about home refueling for compressed natural gas vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid vehicles demonstrate its potential and warrant further research. This paper presents a historical review and comparison of home refueling methods for a wide range of motor vehicles; the home refueling experience of these vehicles and consumer preferences and response to these methods are discussed as well. A description of neighborhood refueling is also provided. Furthermore, the important questions, challenges, and opportunities of adopting a home and neighborhood refueling strategy for alternative fuel pathways are summarized. The paper intends to help us understand the potential of home and neighborhood refueling and the difference between home refueling for different alternative fuel pathways, and help facilitate further exploring of the implications.

Consumer reactions to crowded retail settings: Cross‐cultural differences between North America and the Middle East

AbstractMost of the research dealing with consumer–consumer interactions emphasizes the negative consequences of sharing the service experience with other consumers. Crowding, in particular, represents one of the important environmental factors affecting consumers' retail experience. However, recent studies in the context of hedonic services (e.g., amusement parks, concerts, etc.) have mentioned that crowds may potentially enhance consumers' service experience. The present study aims at demonstrating the presence of these positive consumer responses in a crowded hedonic situation, while investigating the influence of cultural differences in crowd‐related issues. With the use of consumers from different cultures (North America and the Middle East), reactions to similarly crowded situations in a hedonic situation are compared. Results suggest that Middle Eastern respondents perceive both a lower level of density and appreciate crowded situations more than their North American counterparts. Potential explanations are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The art of service recovery: fact or fiction?

PurposeTo determine the impact of service recovery on consumer evaluations of service delivery.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment investigated consumer responses to three dimensions of perceived fairness of recovery efforts: redress, responsiveness, and empathy/courtesy.FindingsResults revealed that higher levels of redress independently increase positive consumer responses. It was further found that the interaction of employee responsiveness and courtesy can also have a dramatic impact on consumer evaluations. Satisfaction was highest and negative word‐of‐mouth (WOM) intentions were lowest only under conditions of high responsiveness and courtesy. Additionally, an interaction between courtesy and tangible rewards significantly decreased the level of negative WOM.Practical implicationsThe research offers empirical support for the “service recovery paradox” suggesting effective post‐recovery efforts may not only counteract bad service experiences, but may increase satisfaction beyond levels held before the service failure.Originality/valueKey elements for the proper structuring of a service recovery process are identified for management.

Bioenhancement or playing God? Biotechnology and the future of food

The discussion about the appropriate use of biotechnology in the food industry has, during the past decade, extended beyond the possibilities provided by the science itself. Increasingly, the way forward for biotechnology is understood to be a response to what is described as ‘market pull’ (the extent to which product success is determined by a positive consumer response) as well as ‘science push’ (the introduction of innovative products into the marketplace as a result of technical innovation).

Environmental attitude and commitment in relation to ad message credibility

The study examined how consumers responded to apparel advertisements with varying environmental claims. Respondents were 274 undergraduate students at a US university. Three attitudinal perceiver variables (environmental knowledge, concern and commitment) were analysed in relation to perceptions of credibility of environmental messages. Although significant differences in perceptions of credibility among certain types of environmental ad claims were found, results suggest that the sample of consumers did not respond more positively to advertisements with environmental messages. Environmental advertisement claims were not effective in generating more positive consumer response to apparel advertisements.

Caring is more than kindness: modeling its complexities.

In today's competitive health care environment, the term "caring" is used to promote positive consumer response to services, but little attention is paid to its substantive nature. Today's nurse executives must be able to articulate the value of nursing to other decision makers as choices are made about where limited health care resources should be distributed. Managerial decision makers are familiar with analyzing problems aided by quantitative data. This presents a challenge to nurse executives because the professional practices of nursing do not always lend themselves well to quantification. Caring is a central focus of nursing practice which is difficult to advance because of problems with its definition and measurement. Presented here is a model of caring which illustrates its complex nature, and which is supported by both quantitative and qualitative data.

Effects of problem-based scheduling on patient waiting and staff utilization of time in a pediatric clinic.

The patient scheduling system in a pediatric outpatient clinic was changed from time-based to problem-based in an A-B-A-B reversal design. During baseline, time-based scheduling was in effect with patients being scheduled in 15-min periods regardless of presenting problem. During intervention, a receptionist matched client problems with time slots so that a more extensive treatment was allocated more time. Problem-based scheduling resulted in a substantial decrease in mean number of minutes spent in clinic across all presenting problems. Waiting time increased to baseline levels when problem-based scheduling was removed and decreased again on reintroduction of the program. A follow-up check conducted 1 month after the end of the second intervention phase revealed that the effects were maintained. The problem-based schedule also resulted in an increase in the proportion of extra time that medical staff had available and produced a positive consumer response.

New dimensions in unhidden persuasion

Two potent promotional forces have been operating in the marketing environment. One utilizes direct persuasion techniques. The other attempts to obtain a positive consumer response through hidden persuasion. Today’s shoppers, however, are better educated and are less influenced by hidden persuasion methods. Studies indicate that impulse buying has increased and that consumers want to make their “own” buying decisions. Point-of-purchase advertising is one method of meeting today’s environmental needs. Space is limited and the advertiser must be forthright and precise in his persuasive techniques. In spite of the many constraints imposed on point-of-purchase advertising it has proven to be a powerful persuader, because it is the only medium that can employ the full range of perceptual devices which are so vital to the communication process.