Improving effectiveness of public service advertisements to prevent texting and driving of American youth

This study examines and explores the interplay of theory (regulatory focus fit and implementation intentions) and emerging technology (interactive advertising and social media ad referrals) to segment viewers more effectively and thus increases the response efficacy of public service advertisements (PSAs). Advertising, in general, and PSAs, in particular, are both entering a new era as traditional delivery platforms (print, TV, and radio) are increasingly giving way to new media (the internet and mobile smartphones), which are more dynamic as they can allow adaptability and interactivity. Using a between-subjects design, this study examined the effects of regulatory focus fit on PSA response from both traditional and interactive delivery methods. Results indicated that regulatory focus ads (promotion focus in a texting and donation context) have a positive effect on attitude toward the ads. Results also indicated that a regulatory focus ad (prevention focus) using an interactive delivery method has a positive effect on behavioral intentions. Implementation intentions analysis also indicated positive results for behavior from PSA outcomes. The findings of this study are expected to be useful for practitioners who are designing PSAs and advertisements to prevent texting and driving.     

Regional trade agreements and trade in agri-food products: evidence for the European Union from gravity modeling using disaggregated data

The proliferation of regional trade agreements in recent years has intensified the debate on the desirability of these agreements in themselves and their coexistence with multilateral free trade under the WTO. This study contributes to this debate by analyzing trade creation and trade diversion effects of the European Union on trade flows of six major agri‐food products from 1985 to 2000. An extended gravity model is estimated employing pooled data and generalized least squares methods. The results show that the developments in the EU since the mid‐1980s have served to boost agri‐food trade significantly among the members. Some of the growth in intra‐EU trade in agri‐food products came at the expense of nonmembers as the EU reduced the degree of relative openness to trade with nonmembers during this period and diverted trade from the rest of the world into the intra‐EU channels.     

Understanding students' responses to university‐led charity campaigns: a study of a Haitian earthquake relief campaign

The primary focus of this paper is to understand determinants of behavioral intentions of individuals towards a university‐led charitable campaign. We build a comprehensive model of determinants of behavioral intentions of students towards a university‐led charitable campaign at an individual level. This study identified perceived importance of the cause, social value, and recognition as determinants of behavioral intentions. The results indicated that to increase donations, charitable campaigns should stress the importance of the cause to potential donors and publicly recognize volunteers and donors. Implications and recommendations such as leveraging the university's internal channels of communication to reinforce the importance of the cause are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Motivational and Behavioral Profiling of Visitors to Forest-based Recreational Destinations in Sri Lanka

The tourism industry plays a key role in regional and destination development. As negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts of mass tourism become more common, the appeal of alternative forms of tourism, especially ecotourism, continues to increase. With rising demand, ecotourism operators are facing the task of meeting expectations of diverse consumers of ecotourism products. Accordingly, the need to define and distinguish ecotourists from other types of tourists has become important. The importance of using a behavioral approach to distinguish ecotourists from other types of tourists is emphasized by tourism scholars. This study developed distinct motivational and behavioral profiles of visitors to forest-based ecotourism sites in Sri Lanka. Results identified four different types of tourists based on their behavioral and motivational characteristics: ecotourists, picnickers, egoistic tourists, and adventure tourists. Broad implications of visitor profiling are also discussed. This approach can help ecotourism operators to better tailor marketing strategies and increase visitor satisfaction.     

Examining charitable donation process in South India: role of gender

With increasing financial clout, females are potentially poised as a greater source of charitable giving in the West. However, debate exists in the marketing literature about gender‐based differences in charitable donations. The purpose of this study is to research whether gender‐based segmentation is effective for charities in cultures in which high gender inequality exists. Hence, India, an emerging economy with high gender inequality, was chosen as the study setting. Following an extensive literature review, we identified gender, trust, attitude towards the ad, and feelings from the ad as key predictors of charitable donation intentions. A study model was developed and tested using regression analysis. It was found that the predictor variables have significant impact on intentions to donate. Hence, this study posits that gender could potentially be an effective segmentation variable for charities that are targeting potential donors in South India. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficiency,Equity and Cost Recovery Implications of Water Pricing and Allocation Schemes in Developing Countries

Six alternative methods of allocating and pricing irrigation water used in developing countries are compared and ranked on the bases of allocative efficiency in production, equity in the distribution of income, and cost recovery to the provisioning authority. Several pricing and nonpricing allocation methods are compared, both between and among these categories. Comparisons and rankings are based on measures of efficiency, equity and cost recovery derived within the framework of a Cobb-Douglas production system. It is found that nearly unique rankings prevail, but that the rankings depend crucially on the relative capital intensities between small and large producers. Rankings presented here should provide significant information to people choosing among alternative resource allocation methods. Nous avons comparé et classé six méthodes différentes de distribution et de tarification de ?eau ?irrigation utilisées dans les pays en développement, à partir de lew efficacité quant à la production, à ?équité dans la répartition du revenu et au recouvrement des coûts par le fournisseur. Plusieurs méthodes de distribution avec ou sans tarification sont comparées entre ces catégories ainsi qu'au sein de chacun ?elles. Les comparaisons et le classement sont fondés sur des mesures de ?efficacité, de ?équité et du recouvrement des coûts déivées dans le cadre ?un système de production Cobb-Douglas. On constate que le classement est presque toujours le même mais qu'il dépend avant tout de la prédominance relative de capital entre les petits et les gros producteurs. Les classements présentés ici devraient s'avérer utiles pour ceux qui doivent choisir entre plusieurs méthodes de distribution des ressources.     

Contemporaneous and Causal Relationship between Returns and Volumes: Evidence from Nifty Futures

Motivated by the mixture of distribution hypothesis (MDH) and sequential arrival of information hypothesis (SAIH), we investigate the relationship between intraday returns and volumes using derivatives data from the emerging Indian market. Using robust statistical estimation, we document the evidence of both MDH and SAIH in one of the most traded financial markets in India (and the world). We document the presence of strong positive association between returns and volumes. We further report the evidence of strong causality from intraday returns to volumes than vice versa.     

Effects of Regional Trade Agreements on Trade in Agrifood Products: Evidence from Gravity Modeling Using Disaggregated Data

The recent proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has intensified the debate on their merits. This study contributes to this debate by analyzing trade creation and diversion effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on trade in six important agrifood products. An extended gravity model is estimated using pooled data and generalized least squares methods. The result shows that the share of intraregional trade is growing within NAFTA and that NAFTA has displaced trade with the rest of the world. While NAFTA has served to boost trade among its members, it reduced the degree of openness to trade with nonmembers.