University of West Georgia

About: University of West Georgia is a education organization based out in Carrollton, Georgia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 1185 authors who have published 2356 publications receiving 45451 citations.

Do Consumers Expect Companies to Be Socially Responsible? the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Buying Behavior

Abstract: Companies are facing increasing pressure to both maintain profitability and behave in socially responsible ways, yet researchers have provided little information on how corporate social responsibility impacts profitability. This paper reports the findings from in-depth interviews of consumers to determine their views concerning the social responsibilities of companies. A typology of consumers whose purchasing behavior ranges from unresponsive to highly responsive to corporate social responsibility was developed from the analysis.

Mechanism of burial metamorphism of argillaceous sediment: 1. Mineralogical and chemical evidence

Abstract: A detailed mineralogical and chemical investigation has been made of shale cuttings from a well (Case Western Reserve University Gulf Coast 6) in Oligocene-Miocene sediment of the Gulf Coast of the United States. The 10-µm fractions from the 1,250- to 5,500-m stratigraphic interval were analyzed by x-ray diffraction. Major mineralogic changes with depth take place over the interval 2,000 to 3,700 m, after which no significant changes are detectable. The most abundant mineral, illite/smectite, undergoes a conversion from less than 20 percent to about 80 percent illite layers over this interval, after which the proportion of illite layers remains constant. Over the same interval, calcite decreases from about 20 percent of the rock to almost zero, disappearing from progressively larger size fractions with increasing depth; potassium feldspar (but not albite) decreases to zero; and chlorite appears to increase in amount. Variations in the bulk chemical composition of the shale with depth show only minor changes, except for a marked decrease in CaO concomitant with the decrease in calcite. By contrast, the <0.1-µm fraction (virtually pure illite/smectite) shows a large increase in K2O and Al2O3 and a decrease in SiO2 The atomic proportions closely approximate the reaction smectite + Al+3 + K+ = illite + Si+4. The potassium and aluminum appear to be derived from the decomposition of potassium feldspar (and mica?), and the excess silicon probably forms quartz. We interpret all the major mineralogical and chemical changes as the response of the shale to burial metamorphism and conclude that the shale acted as a closed system for all components except H2O, CaO, Na2O, and CO2. Compositional changes in the shale as a function of metamorphic grade closely parallel compositional changes in shale as a function of geologic age.

Building Corporate Associations: Consumer Attributions for Corporate Socially Responsible Programs

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often used as a key criterion in gauging corporate reputation. This research examined the influence of consumers’ attributions on corporate outcomes in response to CSR. Researchers and managers have considered consumers’ beliefs about CSR initiatives to be simplistic, serving either economic ends or reflecting sincere social concerns. The results of two studies established that consumers’ attributions were more complex than traditionally viewed, mirroring many of the motives ascribed to companies by managers and researchers. Rather than viewing corporate efforts along a self- or other-centered continuum, consumers differentiated four types of motives: self-centered motives that are strategic and egoistic and other-centered motives that are values driven and stakeholder driven. Consumers responded most positively to CSR efforts they judged as values driven and strategic while responding negatively to efforts perceived as stakeholder driven or egoistic. Attributions were shown to affect purchase intent as well as mediate the structure of an offer.

Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method

Abstract: Beobachtung, und insbesondere teilnehmende Beobachtung, kommt in vielen Disziplinen zum Einsatz, um Daten uber Personen, Prozesse oder Kulturen im Rahmen qualitativer Forschungsprojekte zu erheben. In diesem Beitrag werden unterschiedliche Definitionen teilnehmender Beobachtung zusammengestellt und deren Geschichte und Ziele sowie die Rolle des Beobachters, d.h. das Wann, Was, und Wie von Beobachtung, skizziert. Anschliesend folgen Anmerkungen zum Umgang mit und Schreiben von Feldnotizen, um dann einige Ubungen fur die Lehre von Beobachtungstechniken vorzustellen. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0502430