Zoekresultaten

The perceived risk and the high involvement product purchase : Location-based advertisements using fearful and sensual appeals as risk reduction strategy in condom purchases

The goal of this research was to investigate the perceived risk of purchasing condoms and the risk-reducing effects of location-based advertisements. For the research, a quantitative approach was used. A questionnaire was distributed to 238 participants, using the Internet and physical distribution. This study found that 66% of the sample perceived social risk during the purchase of condoms. Of this percentage, 39% stated that embarrassment has stopped them from purchasing the product. Location-based advertisements were perceived negative, however also perceived informative by almost half of the sample. This study implies that advertisements have a positive effect on the perceived risk since the majority of the sample stated that their perceived purchase embarrassment was reduced after seeing the sensual (65%) and fearful (59%) advertisement.

Factors influencing Non-Compliance behavior towards Information Security Policies

IT organizations and CEO‟s are, and should be, concerned these days about the (lack of) data confidentiality and the usage of „shadow‟ IT systems by employees. Not only does the company risk monetary loss or public embarrassment, the senior management might also risk personal fines or even imprisonment. Several trends reinforce the attention for these subjects, including the fact that an increasing number of people perform parts of their work tasks from home (RSA, 2007) and the increasing bandwidth available to internet users which makes them rely on the Internet for satisfying their business and personal computing needs (Desisto et al. 2008). Employee compliance with the existing IT security policies is therefore essential. This paper presents a study on factors that influence non-compliance behavior of employees in organizations. The factors found in literature are tested in a survey study amongst employees of a big-four accountancy firm in the Netherlands and Belgium. The study concludes that stricter IT governance and cultural aspects are the most important factors influencing non-compliance behavior.

Physical activity after surgery for severe obesity: the role of exercise cognitions

Background Physical activity after bariatric surgery is associated with sustained weight loss and improved quality of life. Some bariatric patients engage insufficiently in physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine whether and to what extent both physical activity and exercise cognitions have changed at one and two years post-surgery, and whether exercise cognitions predict physical activity. Methods Forty-two bariatric patients (38 women, 4 men; mean age 38 ± 8 years, mean body mass index prior to surgery 47 ± 6 kg/m²), filled out self-report instruments to examine physical activity and exercise cognitions pre- and post surgery. Results Moderate to large healthy changes in physical activity and exercise cognitions were observed after surgery. Perceiving less exercise benefits and having less confidence in exercising before surgery predicted less physical activity two years after surgery. High fear of injury one year after surgery predicted less physical activity two years after surgery. Conclusion After bariatric surgery, favorable changes in physical activity and exercise cognitions are observed. Our results suggest that targeting exercise cognitions before and after surgery might be relevant to improve physical activity.

Digital tasks in the foreign language classroom

The effect of Sachsenhausen visitors' personality and emotions on meaning and word of mouth

This study assessed the effect of visitors' personality and emotional response on finding positive meaning in life and the intention to spread positive word of mouth. The sample (n = 260) consists of visitors to Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum near Berlin. Findings indicate that the emotion of interest positively contributes to finding positive meaning in life and positive word of mouth. The effects of personality are marginal. Personality explains little of the variance in positive meaning and positive word of mouth. Emotional response accounts for 25% of the variance in finding positive meaning in life-in terms of finding personal benefit from the visit, controlled for personality. Despite the dominant negative emotional response, tourists find positive meaning in their visit. These findings correspond with those observed in studies on personal trauma and loss. Positive meaning could potentially contribute to adjustment processes to cope with what occurred. Future research should include address longer term effects on postvisit behavior.

Accidental allergic reactions to food in adolescents and adults An overview of the factors involved and implications for prevention

Accidental allergic reactions to food are one of the major problems in adult patients diagnosed with food allergy. Such reactions occur frequently, are often severe and are associated with higher medical and non-medical costs. The aim of this Perspective is to provide insight into the different factors involved in the occurrence of accidental allergic reactions and to present an overview of practical implications for effective preventive measures. Several factors affect the occurrence of accidental reactions. These factors are related to the patient, health care, or food. The most important patient-related factors are age, social barriers to disclosing their allergy and non-adherence to the elimination diet. With regards to healthcare, the degree to which clinical practice is tailored to the individual patient is an important factor. The major food-related factor is the absence of adequate precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) guidelines. Since many factors are involved in accidental allergic reactions, different preventive strategies are needed. It is highly recommended that health care be tailored to the individual patient, with regard to education about the elimination diet, support on behavioral and psychosocial aspects, usage of shared decision-making and taking into account health literacy. In addition, it is crucial that steps are taken to improve policies and guidelines for PAL.