An examination of the validity of direct product perceptions

The validity of a class of direct product perceptions is examined. Consumers recorded their perception of different products directly within exisiting spatial or treelike representations of the products' competitors. A conceptual model is developed that describes consumers' ability to provide direct perceptions within both space and tree representations for both brands and product categories. An empirical study is reported which supports the model and the validty of the recorded perceptions.     

Land ownership in the United Kingdom: Trends,preferences and future challenges

The relation between population, land use and land ownership has been little explored by academic researchers, and the redistribution of land ownership has largely disappeared from political debate. This article, while recognising the fragmented and limited data available on land ownership, seeks to summarise the broad changes in land ownership during the past century, distinguishing the three main types: private, state and communal tenure, as well as freehold and leasehold tenures. After considering the effects of the spatial planning system upon land use, it addresses some critical emerging issues, such as environmental protection, risk assessment, and housing land supply, and suggests some future directions for land ownership and the role of the state.     

Measuring efficiency with a linear economic model

This paper modifies and interprets Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) using a linear economic model. This approach is similar to the cone input/output and assurance region approaches to DEA, but it is implemented so that the multipliers are measured in the same units across all linear optimization problems. This approach allows one to interpret alternatives as profit maximizing organizations and the DEA multipliers as prices that are comparable across the alternatives. This is a useful extension of the assurance region concept, but more important, is that our approach enhances communication with decision-makers. The improved communication is illustrated by applying the model to the siting of a long-term health care facility. This application is interesting because the multiplier bounds make practical sense, and because the problem has dimensions that sometimes lead to interpretation problems with the traditional DEA model. For example, the site characteristics do not result from coordinated decisions, some sites exhibit zero values for some variables, and the problem has many variables compared with the number of potential sites. Problems with these dimensions have, at times, been deemed unsuitable for DEA, but they are handled without problem by the linear economic model.     

Environmental selection and retail change

In Finland and the other Nordic countries the debate on structural change in retail trade has been mainly concentrated at the macro-level. Reasons for the changes have been sought in the economic, technological and social structures, and in changes in these structures. Committees and others connected with community planning have played a central role in the debate. Considering the extent of the debate, there has been relatively little real research, and the various studies have generally been based on a limited number of variables.In view of the social importance of retail trade, it might seem surprising that researchers have shown so little interest in the structural changes in retail trade and in the results of such changes. The explanation probably lies in the lack of theory, and maybe also in problems connected with the availability of material.Research now needs to focus more on individual stores. This article presents a study intended to re-focus the debate on structural change in retail trade by studying the reasons for the closure or survival of operations in the rural store. The results emphasize external factors: the environment selects those stores that are best suited to its purposes.     

Paying the price: The affinity credit card relationship

Since affinity credit cards were launched in the United Kingdom in 1988 their numbers have grown steadily. These cards are offered by financial institutions to charity supporters, and each time the card is used for a transaction, a sum of money is paid to the charity by the institution. This paper is based on the results of a 1995 survey of UK charities holding affinity credit cards and on the. follow-up interviews. The question is considered of who holds the balance of power in the relationship between the profit-orientated institution and the nonprofit charitable organisation.     

Donation dilemmas: A consumer behaviour perspective

With the aim of developing a better understanding of an individual's donation decision process this paper focuses on the information search undertaken by a prospective donor. It discusses the level of problem solving that characterises various donations, using the body of consumer decision-making literature to provide a theoretical framework for the investigation. From the results it appears that donor decision making follows a similar pattern to consumer buying decisions. There appears to be a low incidence of extended problem solving, even where relatively large donations are concerned. Examples of limited problem solving and routine response behaviour, by contrast, were more prevalent.     

人人都处在销售中

<正> 问题“谁处于销售中?”的答案就是每个人,这不是诡辩。不进行销售的人是不存在的。从某种程度来说,几乎每天您都参与了某种形式的销售。您可能不这样说,或者您根本没有意识到那是一种销售,但是,不管怎样,那确实就是销售。     

Psychosocial Outcomes as Motivations for Visiting Nearby Urban Green Spaces

High-density urban living means that urban green spaces are important nodes of contact with nature. This study examines expected outcomes that motivate people to seek green spaces in urban settings. A sample of Swiss residents were presented with Shin, Kwon, Hammitt, and Kim's (2005 Shin, W., Kwon, H., Hammitt, W. and Kim, B. 2005. Urban forest park use and psychosocial outcomes: A case study in six cities across South Korea. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 20(5): 441–447. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) psychosocial outcomes scale and asked which activities they choose to undertake in nearby natural areas. The most important motivations for visiting nearby green spaces were related to restoration, with social bonding as a desirable side benefit. There were few observable differences between urban and rural residents and level of education attained. Older people are motivated to visit nearby green spaces by the wish to seek social contact while younger people are motivated by the wish to seek escape and to reflect. This study contributes to the understanding of the psychosocial outcomes that residents expect from engaging in an activity in an urban green space.