Consumer satisfaction and post-purchase intentions: an exploratory study of museum visitors

This paper examines the relationship between consumer satisfaction and subsequent intentions in the museum context, as well as the moderating influence of demographic characteristics such as gender, age and education in that relationship. The relationship between satisfaction and a range of service elements, overall satisfaction with the experience and intentions was investigated. Museum marketers can profit by examining the "value chain" of museum experience outlined in the model presented, especially the greater likelihood of consumers recommending the experience to others than making a repeat visit themselves, and by investigating segment differences beyond those reported here.

The measurement of attribution of blame in the self-service technology context

It is argued that attribution of blame (AoB) will differ in the Self-Service Technology (SST) context versus the interpersonal services context, due to the inherent elements of the SST environment, thereby making it a construct worthy of further research in the SST setting. This paper presents a first step in this pursuit by validating a multiple-item instrument of AoB in the SST context, which, to the researchers’ knowledge, has not been done previously. The paper comments on the surprising lack of valid, unidimensional instruments to measure each of the dimensions of AoB (locus, controllability and stability), even in the interpersonal services context. Preliminary results of a pre-test and pilot study support a three-dimensional measurement model of attribution of blame, in the SST setting.

Attributed publication and selection for web service-based distributed systems

With the emergence of cloud computing, the need for flexible and detailed publication and selection of services that expose cloud resources is greatly stressed. While dynamic attributes have improved the publication and selection of resources in distributed systems, the use of dynamic attributes is yet to be tried in Web services: a key element that makes cloud computing possible. We propose a new approach to Web service publication and selection using dynamic attributes shown in Web service WSDL documents, the most commonly accessed and used elements of Web services.

Energy-efficient management of data center resources for cloud computing : a vision, architectural elements, and open challenges

Cloud computing is offering utility-oriented IT services to users worldwide. Based on a pay-as-you-go model, it enables hosting of pervasive applications from consumer, scientific, and business domains. However, data centers hosting Cloud applications consume huge amounts of energy, contributing to high operational costs and carbon footprints to the environment. Therefore, we need Green Cloud computing solutions that can not only save energy for the environment but also reduce operational costs. This paper presents vision, challenges, and architectural elements for energy-efficient management of Cloud computing environments. We focus on the development of dynamic resource provisioning and allocation algorithms that consider the synergy between various data center infrastructures (i.e., the hardware, power units, cooling and software), and holistically work to boost data center energy efficiency and performance. In particular, this paper proposes (a) architectural principles for energy-efficient management of Clouds; (b) energy-efficient resource allocation policies and scheduling algorithms considering quality-of-service expectations, and devices power usage characteristics; and (c) a novel software technology for energy-efficient management of Clouds. We have validated our approach by conducting a set of rigorous performance evaluation study using the CloudSim toolkit. The results demonstrate that Cloud computing model has immense potential as it offers significant performance gains as regards to response time and cost saving under dynamic workload scenarios.

Enhancing cloud computing environments using a cluster as a service

The emergence of cloud computing has caused a significant change in how IT infrastructures are provided to research and business organizations. Instead of paying for expensive hardware and incur excessive maintenance costs, it is now possible to rent the IT infrastructure of other organizations for a minimal fee. While the existence of cloud computing is new. The elements used to create clouds have been around for some time. Cloud computing systems have been made possible through the use of large-scale clusters, service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, and virtualization. While the idea of offering resources via Web services is commonplace in cloud computing, little attention has been paid to the clients themselves specifically, human operators. Despite that clouds host a variety of resources which in turn are accessible to a variety of clients, support for human users is minimal.

Video capture : pre-service teacher reflection, assessment or both

This paper reports on a small trial with 6 pre-service teachers who videoed their own teaching practices. The pre-service teachers used the tool to reflect on practice and to enhance their own understandings of themselves as teachers. The initial footage was used to by the pre-service teachers to gauge quite specific elements of their teaching: for example, were they asking effective questions, or were they responding appropriately to questions children asked and as always, what management strategies seemed to be working? Critical feedback from other students was initially „less than critical‟, but again over time, this also appeared to sharpen as they had more opportunity to use the technology. Initial embarrassment of being on screen was replaced with a professional approach to seeing the video as a tool for providing the opportunity to systematically deconstruct practices and for providing concrete feedback for improvement. Used in conjunction with teaching preparation courses, the videoed segments of teaching practice could be used to highlight exemplars, to show what actually happens in classrooms and to explain certain practices. Cunningham and Benedetto (2002) state “Recent developments in digital video technologies permit teacher candidates to collect, review, and manipulate video to demonstrate their growth as a professional and as a reflective practitioner.” However, in the development of the trial, the issue was raised by the pre-service teachers that they would be interested in keeping the videos as evidence of their teaching competence to be used in applications for teaching positions. In the small trial, ethics permission had not been gained for that to happen, but it is certainly a valid and viable possibility for the future. Currently prospective employers have to rely on paper applications which respond to selection criteria, evidence from pre-service teachers‟ teaching rounds and the subjective impressions of an interview. If students were able to present a 5 minute segment of them teaching, it might count for much more than any other evidence. Video capture of teaching practice would provide potential employers with an indication of a pre-service teacher‟s management strategies, relationships with children and a snapshot of a pre-service teacher‟s instructional practice. The idea of video-capture as a tool for pre-service teachers to illustrate teaching capabilities will be more fully investigated in this paper.

Telephone survey of service-user experiences of a telephone-based mental health triage service

The participation of service users in all aspects of mental health service delivery including policy development, service planning and evaluation is increasingly an expectation of contemporary mental health care. Although there are a growing number of publications reporting service-user perspectives in the evaluation of mental health services, little attention has been paid to the views of service users about mental health triage services. The purpose of the study reported here was to examine service-users' (consumers and informal carers) experiences of a telephone-based mental health triage service. Using a framework developed from the World Health Organisation's elements of responsiveness, we conducted structured telephone interviews with service users who had contacted a telephone-based mental health triage service in regional Victoria, Australia. The main findings of the study were that consumers experienced more difficulty than carers in accessing the service and that, although most participants were satisfied, only a minority reported being involved in decision-making. Further work is needed to improve accessibility of mental health triage services and to investigate barriers to consumer self-referral. Professional development and practice support systems should be established to support mental health triage nurses in the development of collaborative, consumer-focused care.

Brand orientation and service quality in online and offline environments: empirical examination in higher education

This study examines the relationship between perceived brand orientation (PBO) and service quality (SERVQUAL) in both online and offline education environment. A total of 476 questionnaires were completed by undergraduate students of a particular university in Australia. Structural equation modeling was employed in this study to examine the associations between PBO and service quality (SERVQUAL). The “interaction” dimension of PBO is significantly related to all elements of SERVQUAL in both groups. The “affect” dimension is only significantly related to the “tangibles” dimension in the online groups and is not significantly related to all SERVQUAL dimension in the offline groups

Development, implementation and evaluation of a clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building program in a large Australian health care service

BACKGROUND: Health professionals need to be integrated more effectively in clinical research to ensure that research addresses clinical needs and provides practical solutions at the coal face of care. In light of limited evidence on how best to achieve this, evaluation of strategies to introduce, adapt and sustain evidence-based practices across different populations and settings is required. This project aims to address this gap through the co-design, development, implementation, evaluation, refinement and ultimately scale-up of a clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building program in a clinical setting with little to no co-ordinated approach to clinical research engagement and education.

METHODS/DESIGN: The protocol is based on principles of research capacity building and on a six-step framework, which have previously led to successful implementation and long-term sustainability. A mixed methods study design will be used. Methods will include: (1) a review of the literature about strategies that engage health professionals in research through capacity building and/or education in research methods; (2) a review of existing local research education and support elements; (3) a needs assessment in the local clinical setting, including an online cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews; (4) co-design and development of an educational and support program; (5) implementation of the program in the clinical environment; and (6) pre- and post-implementation evaluation and ultimately program scale-up. The evaluation focuses on research activity and knowledge, attitudes and preferences about clinical research, evidence-based practice and leadership and post implementation, about their satisfaction with the program. The investigators will evaluate the feasibility and effect of the program according to capacity building measures and will revise where appropriate prior to scale-up.

DISCUSSION: It is anticipated that this clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building program will enable and enhance clinically relevant research to be led and conducted by health professionals in the health setting. This approach will also encourage identification of areas of clinical uncertainty and need that can be addressed through clinical research within the health setting.