Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool: The Influence of the ...thesis.honors.olemiss.edu/1072/1/Grayson Huber Thesis...Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool: The Influence of the Student Union

AtmosphericsasaMarketingTool:TheInfluenceoftheStudentUnionDining

AtmosphereandServiceonStudents’AttitudesandActions

By

GraysonHuber

AthesissubmittedtothefacultyofTheUniversityofMississippiinpartial

fulfillmentoftherequirementsoftheSallyMcDonnellBarksdaleHonorsCollege

Oxford

May2018

Approvedby

____________________________________

Advisor:Dr.KathleenWachter

____________________________________

Reader:Dr.RobertBrown

____________________________________

Reader:Dr.StevenSkultety

ii

©2018GraysonBeauHuber

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED

iii

DedicatedtothememoryofDouglasR.Buglewicz

Apatientmentorandfriendwithunendingcompassion,enthusiasm,andwit

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ABSTRACTGRAYSONBEAUHUBER:AtmosphericsasaMarketingTool:TheInfluenceoftheStudentUnionDiningAtmosphereandServiceonStudents’AttitudesandActions

AtmosphericshavebeenafocusofmarketingresearchfordecadesfollowingtheresearchofKotler(1971).Atmosphericsresearchhasrevolvedmostlyaroundretailsettings,withsomeresearchfocusingondiningsettingsforconsumers.Visual,aural,olfactory,andtactilefactorsofatmosphericshavebeenstudiedinordertoprovidethebestcustomerexperience.Positiveatmosphericsalsocanrelatetofuturebuyinghabits.

Thisstudyfocusesonthetopicofdiningatmosphericsonacollegecampus.Thepurposeofthisresearchwastoanalyzeanychangesinstudents’opinionsfollowingtherenovationofanon-campusdiningoption.AsurveywasavailabletoaselectionofstudentsattheUniversityofMississippi.Thissurveyaskedquestionspertainingtostudents’viewsonvariousaspectsoftheStudentUniondiningareabeforeandaftertherenovation.ThissurveypulledinformationandinspirationfromanadaptedversionoftheMehrabian-Russellmodel(Liu,2009).

Ingeneral,studentsviewedmanyaspectsoftheStudentUniontobeimprovedaftertherenovation.Positivefeelings,negativefeelings,positiveatmospherics,andfacilitiesallsawimprovedattitudesfromstudentsconcerningtheupdateddiningvenue.Theseimprovedqualitiesdidnotresultinmorepositiveviewsofspecificfoodvendors.ThebehavioralintentionsofstudentsfortheupdatedStudentUnionweresignificantlypositive.Studentsatleastagreedtostatementsconcerningtheirfuturepatronage,wordofmouth,andrecommendations.Furthermore,allthedefinedclustersofthisstudysignificantlycorrelatedwithbehavioralintentions.Thequalitativeanalysisshowedthatstudentsareenjoyingthefoodvendoroptions,interiorlayout,andvisualappealoftherenovatedStudentUnion.However,crowdingandlonglinesremainanissuefortheStudentUnion.Inaposthoctest,genderofstudentsshowedthatfemalesaremorelikelytoagreewithbehavioralintentionstatements.

Intotal,theStudentUnionattheUniversityofMississippihasimprovedintheeyesofitsstudentsthroughtheprocessofrenovation.Someaspectsstillneedattentionandimprovement,buttheoverallevaluationoftheStudentUnionprovidedpositiveresults.

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TableofContents

Introduction..............................................................................................................................1

I.LiteratureReview................................................................................................................2A.ATMOSPHERICS.............................................................................................................................3i.Visual.................................................................................................................................................................3ii.Aural.................................................................................................................................................................4iii.Olfactory........................................................................................................................................................5iv.Tactile.............................................................................................................................................................5v.Facilities..........................................................................................................................................................6

B.BEHAVIORALINTENTIONSANDCUSTOMERLOYALTY...................................................6C.DELIVERYOFSERVICE.................................................................................................................7

II.PurposeofStudy.................................................................................................................9

III.ResearchObjectives.......................................................................................................11IV.Methodology.....................................................................................................................13

V.StudyProtocol...................................................................................................................14VI.SampleCharacteristics..................................................................................................15

VII.AnalysisofData..............................................................................................................16

VIII.Results.............................................................................................................................19QuantitativeAnalysis....................................................................................................................19ResearchObjective1:AtmosphericsinfluenceinNURvs.OU..................................................19ResearchObjective2:ServiceDeliveryattheNURvs.OU.........................................................20ResearchObjective3:TrafficatNURvs.OU.....................................................................................20ResearchObjective4:EvaluatefoodserviceoptionsandchoicesatNURvs.OU............21ResearchObjective5:FuturePatronageIntentionsatNUR......................................................22QuantitativeAnalysisSummary.............................................................................................................25

QualitativeAnalysis.......................................................................................................................25ResearchObjective6:QualitativeAnalysis:StudentcommentsonfeelingsaboutNURvs.OU.................................................................................................................................................................26

IX.PostHocTestsandAnalysis........................................................................................33X.ImplicationsforNURandMovingForward.............................................................35

XI.LimitationsoftheStudy................................................................................................36

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................38Bibliography...........................................................................................................................40

Appendices..............................................................................................................................42Survey.................................................................................................................................................42TotalFactorAnalysis....................................................................................................................50

1

Introduction

ThisthesisresearchconcernstheUniversityofMississippiStudentUnion

foodservicesexperiencecomparingtheNewUnionRenovation(NUR)totheOld

Union(OU).PartoftheUMStudentUnion’sdiningexperiencecanbeenhanced

throughatmospherics.AccordingtoKotler(1973),atmosphericscanbedescribed

as“theconsciousdesigningofspacetocreatecertaineffectsinbuyers”(p.50).For

theUMStudentUnion,atmosphericscanbeofbenefittotheirmarketingefforts.By

creatingapositiveatmosphere,theStudentUnioncaninfluencestudentsand

prospectivestudents’opinionsandattitudes.ThechangesmadetotheNUR

atmospherecanincreasesensoryappealthroughlighting,color,signage(visual),

foodaroma(olfactory),music(aural),andcomfortablespace(tactile)(Kotler,

1973).

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I.LiteratureReview

Theprimaryfocusofresearchforthisthesisiscenteredonatmosphericsand

service.Manywhopatronizerestaurantsdosotoaccomplishaneed:they’re

hungry.Makingthechoiceofwheretoeatcanbeinfluencedbymanythings.Atthe

UniversityofMississippi,thechoiceoftenistheStudentUnionasmanystudentsare

betweenclassesanditiscentrallylocatedtobuildingsoncampus.Indining

options,theambience/atmospherecaninfluencepatrons’overallsatisfactionwitha

chosenvendor.GiventhefactthattheStudentUnionwasbuiltin1976,andhadnot

seensignificantimprovements/changessincethattime,thisresearchwouldliketo

investigatepatrons’perceptionsandsatisfactionwiththeirdiningoptions,service

delivery,andrestaurantchoicesonfutureintentiontopatronizerestaurantsinthe

NUR.Theatmosphereintherestaurantanddining/seatingareasispartofthe

overalldiningexperience.Theseexperiencescanbeinfluencedbythescents,

lighting,seating,noise,andcolorswithinthesetting.GiventheNUR,thispresents

anopportunitytoassesspatrons’overallfeelingsaboutthesesituational

atmosphericsandtheirintentiontocontinuetovisit.Todothis,first,Ineedan

understandingofwhatatmosphericsareandwhytheyarecruciallyimportant.With

Kotler’sdefinitioninmind,adaptingcertainatmosphericscanbeextremely

beneficialtomarketingeffortsofvariousbusinesses.Bycreatingapositive

atmosphere,businessescaninfluencecustomers’attitudesandfutureactions.The

changesmadetotheatmosphereofabusinesscanbemadethroughvarioussensory

terms.Kotler(1973)alsolistsgroupingsofsensorytermsusedforatmospherics

intovisual,aural,olfactory,andtactileaspects.Thevisualaspectreferstowhat

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patronsseeintermsofthecombinationofcolorandlighting.Theatmospherics

auralcategoryconsistsofbothunplannedandplannedsoundsthatconsumers

experienceinanenvironment.Theolfactorycomponentreferstopatrons’senseof

smellinasetting.Finally,thetactilecategoryisthesenseofspaceandcrowdingthat

patrons’experience.Iwillfurtherexplorethesetopicsinthenextsection.

A.ATMOSPHERICS

i.VisualThevisualcategoryrepresentswhatconsumersseewhileinsideabusiness.

Thiscanincludecolorsandlightingchoicesusedinaspace.Specifically,colorcan

influenceaffectivetoneandarousal(Babin,2003).Affectivetonereferstohow

consumersjudgeabrand(suchascheaporluxurious).Arousalcanbedescribedas

howconsumerspsychologicallyrespondtocertaincolors(whethercolorsmake

themfeelrelaxed,anxious,excited,etc.)Differenthuesofcolorsareusedtoemit

variousresponsesofaffectivetoneandarousal.Thetwomainclassificationsof

colorsare‘cool’and‘warm’colors.Coolcolorshaveshortwavelengthsandinclude

bluesandviolets.Ontheotherendofthespectrum,warmcolorshavelong

wavelengthsandincluderedsandoranges.Researchhasshownstoresthatuse

coolercolorsaretypicallypreferredandreceivebetteremotionalresponses(Babin,

2003).Lightingalsocanmakeamajorimpactonconsumers’perceptionsofquality

withinaretailsetting.Harsh,brightlightingcorrespondswithlowerqualityof

product,whilesofterlightingcoincidedwithhigherqualityaccordingtoconsumer

perceptionsinanexperimentalretailsetting(Baker,1994).Thesevisualelements

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havebeenalteredwiththeNUR.Therearelesscolorspresent,leavingmuchofthe

interiortobewhite.ThelightingisalsomorenaturalintheNURduetolarge

windowsopentothefoodarea.

ii.AuralTheauraldimensionincludesanysoundsorhapticssuchasmusic,talking,

thesoundofheels,carts,etc.thatcanaffectmoodsandmoodstates.Differentstyles

ofmusicanddifferenttemposcanhaveasignificantimpactonconsumers(Michon,

2002).Musicalsohasbeenproventohaveasignificantimpactondiningsettings.

Manyrestaurantsputgreateffortintotheselectionsofmusicplayingintheir

establishments.Muchlikethevisualcomponentofatmospherics,theaural

environmentcanaffectconsumersinbothpositiveandnegativeways.

Musicselectionswithslowertemposaregenerallyrelaxingandincreasethe

timeconsumersspendatarestaurantaswellastheirtotalmoneyspent(Milliman,

1986).Moretimespenteatingmeansthattableswillbeoccupiedforlongerperiods

oftime.Withtablesbeingoccupiedforlongeramountsoftime,thiscanleadto

longerwaittimesforpotentialcustomerswalkinginthedoor.However,this

appearedtobeinsignificantinthenumberofpatronswholeftbeforebeingseated

(Milliman,1986).Noiselevelswithinrestaurantsplayasignificantroleinthe

ambientenvironment,whichaffectsconsumers’attitudesandbehaviors(Han,

2009).

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iii.OlfactoryOlfactorysensesrefertothesmellsthatconsumersexperienceinaparticular

environment.Therearethreedimensionstohowanodorisperceived.First,isits

presenceinanenvironmentor,oppositely,itsabsencefromanenvironment.The

secondfactoristheperceivedpleasantnessofthescent.Third,thecongruityofthe

scenttothesituationorenvironmentisthefinalelementtothesenseofsmell

(Bone,1999).Whilethereisstillsomedebateonhoweffectiveolfactory

atmosphericsareonconsumerperceptions,thecongruitydimensionisprobably

mostimportantinestablishinganyeffect(Michon,2005).TheNURhaspotentially

madesomeimprovementsinthisarea.Byslightlyseparatingthespacesthateach

vendoroccupies,thescentsfromeachmightalsobeseparated.Thiscouldbe

beneficialasitallowscustomersofaspecificvendortoonlysmellthefoodtheyare

abouttoeat.Thiscreatespositivecongruencyamongcustomers’perceptionsofthe

foodandsmell.

iv.TactileCrowding,space,andcomfortcanfallunderthiscategory.Peopledonot

wantspacesthataretoocrowded,butanemptyspacecanfeeluninviting.Thisis

oneaspectofatmosphericsthatwassignificantlychangedbetweenOUandNUR.

TheNURhasamoreopenlayoutwithdifferentseatingoptions.Throughthis

change,theStudentUnionisattemptingtocreateamorepositivesenseof

atmosphereforconsumers.

Anothermajorcomponentofthetactilecategoryistemperature.Han(2009)

alsoreferstotemperatureasapartoftheambientenvironmentinretailsettings.

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Thisambientenvironmentandthefactorswithincansignificantlyaffectcustomer

satisfactionandloyalty.WithinthisstudyIaimtoseeiftactilecomponentsinthe

NURareconsistentwithstudents’expectations.

v.FacilitiesAnotherpotentialinfluencerofconsumerorpatronattitudesabouta

restaurantorretaileristhefacility.Afacility’sbasicamenitiesatrestaurants,mainly

bathrooms,canhaveasignificantinfluenceondinersatisfaction.Thereisa

significantrelationshipbetweenhygieneofrestroomsanddinersatisfaction(Lee,

2016).TheNURisprovidingcleanandnewrestroomsfortheircustomers.Thewear

andtearthattheolderbathroomsexperiencedisgoneinfavorofbrandnew

facilitiesincludingfamilyandADAoptions.

Intotal,theseatmosphericcomponentsareimportantbecausethey

correspondtopatrons’emotionalreactions.Inturn,emotionalresponsestothe

overallenvironmentleadtoeitherpositiveornegativefuturebehavioraland

patronageintentions.

B.BEHAVIORALINTENTIONSANDCUSTOMERLOYALTYMeasuringconsumers’behavioralintentionsisthenextlogicalstepinthe

studyofatmospherics.Theatmosphereandphysicalevidencearedesignedto

createtheambiencethatpatronsexperiencewhenvisiting.Theambienceand

atmospherecreatedcandeterminewhetherpatronsreturnandspreadpositive

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wordofmouth.Researchersandmarketerswanttoknowthelikelihoodof

returningpatronageandpositivewordofmouth.Peoplehaveaspectrumoftwo

possibleandoppositereactionstoanenvironment:attractionoravoidance(Bitner,

1992).Peoplecouldstronglyavoidorbeattractedtotheirsurroundingsorhavea

minordegreeofeitherofthesereactions.Thesetwooppositereactionsarethebase

formeasuringconsumers’likelihoodtoreturntoarestaurantinthefuture.Positive

reactionstorestaurantenvironmentsleadtohigherratesofreturningpatronage

andpositivewordofmouth.Negativereactionsleadtofewerreturningcustomers

andnegativewordofmouth.Wordofmouthisanextremelyimportantcomponent

formarketerstomeasure.AccordingtoLitvin(2008),interpersonalinfluenceand

wordofmoutharesignificantinaconsumers’decisionofwheretomakeapurchase.

Therefore,increasedlikelihoodofpositivewordofmouthtranslatestomore

customersandhighersalesinthefuture.Byanalyzingthesetwocomponentsof

behavioralintentions,marketerscanvisualizewhatdecisionsareworking

positivelyornegatively.

C.DELIVERYOFSERVICE Akeyaspectofrestaurantexperienceishowsatisfactorytheserviceand

orderfulfillmentareincomparisontocustomers’perceptions.Restaurantservice

canbeviewedfromtwoperspectives:mechanicalandhumanic(Wall,2007).The

mechanicalcomponentconsistsofhowfunctionsarecarriedout.Aserver’sjobto

takeandprocessanordercorrectlyandinapreferredamountoftimeisaprime

exampleofmechanicalservice.Ensuringthatthefoodisingoodqualityisalsothe

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mechanicalresponsibilityoftheemployees.Humanicservicerelatestothe

interpersonalcommunicationthatemployeeshavewithcustomers.Positive

interactionsinfluenceconsumers’perceptionsofanestablishment.Themenuand

foodoptionscontributetohowconsumersviewarestaurant.Menuappearanceand

choicessignificantlycorrelatewithconsumeropinionsandattitudes(Lee,2016).

TheNURhasincreaseditsfoodselectionsasawholebyaddingmorevariety

invendors.ThiscreatesanexpandedmenuforconsumersvisitingtheStudent

Union.However,theemployeeshiredmaynothavevariedmuchfromOUtoNUR.

TheeaseandcorrectnessofordersattheOUtoNURmaynotvarymuchbecauseof

this.

Uponinvestigatingtheeffectsofatmosphericsandservicedeliveryonfuture

patronageintentions,theideaofstudyingtheseeffectsonacollegecampus

environmentbecameintriguing.TheUniversityofMississippiStudentUnion

renovationposedagreatopportunitytoseehowrenovationsmayhelptosolve

particularissuesthatstudentshadwiththeOU.

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II.PurposeofStudy

Iwantedtoseehowresearchofatmospherics,service,andbehavioral

intentionscouldrelatetoanon-campusdiningatmosphere.Whenlookingat

potentialsourcesofstudy,theStudentUnionattheUniversityofMississippibecame

afeasibleoptionwithinterestingpossibilities.TheStudentUnionhasrecentlybeen

renovatedtoincludeanewinterioraswellassomenewfoodvendors.This

renovationallowsforsomebeforeandaftercomparisonstobemade.Specifically,I

wasinterestedinhowNURatmosphere,foodoptions,andservicedeliveryinfluence

students’feelingsabouttheirdiningexperienceandbehaviorscomparedwiththe

OU.

Withinthisanalysis,IwasinterestedinwhethertheNURisviewedmore

favorablyaftertherenovation.Thiscomparisonaimedtoseehowatmospherics,

emotions,andfacilitiesmightbevieweddifferently.Throughouttheresearch

leadingintothisstudy,itwasclearthatatmosphericsandserviceplayprominent

rolesincustomersatisfactionandopinion.Thisstudy’spurposeistoinvestigatethe

effectsofatmosphereanddeliveryofserviceonstudents’perceptionsoftheNUR

andOU.Thestudywillalsotestanydifferencesinperceptionsofspecificvendors

betweentheNURandOU.Bitner(1992)hasalsoindicatedthesignificanceof

behavioralintentionsascriticaltothesuccessofretailersandrestaurants.

Therefore,thisstudywillcapturestudents’intentionstospreadpositivewordof

mouthandrevisit.Finally,inordertodevelopadeeperunderstandingofstudent

opinions,Iwanttousequalitativedataanalysis.Bycombiningquantitativeand

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qualitativedataanalytics,thisstudywilltestthesefactorsofatmosphericsand

serviceattheUniversityofMississippiStudentUnion.

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III.ResearchObjectives

Basedontheliteratureresearchedandtheestablishedpurposeofthis

research,sixobjectiveshavebeenidentified.

ResearchObjective1:AtmosphericsinfluenceinNURvs.OU

Throughtheclustersofatmospherics,positivefeelings,andnegativefeelings,

Iaimtogaugestudents’perceptionsoftheNURandOUfoodcourtarea.This

includesanalysisofthevisual,aural,olfactory,andtactilecomponentsof

atmosphericsaswellasthegeneralfacilityprovidedattheNURandOU.

ResearchObjective2:ServiceDeliveryattheNURvs.OU

Thisobjectivereferstothelinesandspeedofservicedeliverythatpatrons

experienceatthefoodcourt.Iaminterestedinfindinganypotential

differenceinhowstudentsperceiveservicedeliveryattheNURvs.OU.

ResearchObjective3:TrafficatNURvs.OU

Trafficrepresentsthephysicalevidenceofourobjectivesrelatedtothe

trafficatboththeNURandOU.Iwanttoknowwhethertherearelarger

crowdsintheNURorOU,andhowthesecrowdsaffectstudents’attitudes.

ResearchObjective4:EvaluatefoodserviceoptionsandchoicesatNURvs.OU

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ThissectionoftheobjectivescomparesvendorsatboththeNURandOU.By

comparingstudents’attitudesofthesamevendorsacrossNURandOU,Ican

identifyanypotentialvariance.

ResearchObjective5:FuturePatronageIntentionsatNUR

OnekeyobjectiveinordertogaugethesuccessoftheNURisthefuture

patronageintentionsofstudents.Thisidentifieshowwelltherenovationsto

theStudentUnionhaveimprovedfutureactionsbythestudents.

ResearchObjective6:QualitativeAnalysis:Studentcommentsonfeelingsabout

NURvs.OU

Students’opinionsaboutwhattheydoanddonotlikeabouttheNURandOU

areincrediblyvaluable.Analyzingcommonalitiesinresponsesisan

importantstepinplanningfutureimprovementstotheNUR.

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IV.Methodology

Toanswerresearchobjectivesaboutatmospherics,servicedelivery,

facilities,andbehavioralintentionswithfoodvendorsaswellastheStudentUnion

ingeneral,Iusedpriorsurveyquestionsrelatedtodiningatmospherics.The

componentsofthediningatmosphericquestionswerebasedontheworksofan

extendedMehrabian-Russellmodel(Liu,2009).Thisresearchadaptedtheexisting

Mehrabian-RussellmodeltobeusedtomeasurediningatmosphericsinChinese

restaurants.ThebasicstructureofthesurveyusedspecificLikertscaleitems(scale

points:1=extremelydisagreeto7=extremelyagree)todeterminethedegreeto

whichrespondentsagreed/disagreedwithvariousstatements.Inordertoidentify

atmosphericsaboutspecificfoodvendors,respondentswereaskedtocheckwhich

restaurantstheyhadvisitedaswellastheirmostfrequentlyvisitedvendor.

Respondentswerethendirectedtoanswerquestionsabouttheirmostfrequently

visitedvendor.Then,questionspertainingtotheirfeelingsregardingvisual,aural,

olfactory,andtactileatmospherics,servicedelivery,andfacilitieswereaskedabout

boththeNURandOU.Behavioralintentionsintermsoffuturepatronageintentions

wereaskedfortheNUR.Open-endedqualitativequestionswereaddedtoallow

respondentsanopportunitytoexpressanyfurtheropinionsabouttheStudent

Union.Seeappendixforsurveyquestionnaire.

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V.StudyProtocol

Afterdevelopingthequestionnaire,itwassubmittedandapprovedbythe

InstitutionalReviewBoardattheUniversityofMississippi.Thequestionnairewas

thenprocessedandadministeredviaQualtrics,ontheSONASystemsprogramopen

tostudentsinintroductoryandupperlevelgeneralbusinessandmarketingcourses

forextracredit.Itwasadministeredoverthecourseoftwoandahalfweeks

(November15thuntilDecember2nd,2017).Uponcompletion,thesurveysample

consistedof230totalresponsesfromstudents.Editingtheresponseyieldeda

samplesizeof195.Respondentsweredroppedduetonotfullycompletingsurveys,

failingtomeetrequiredscreeningquestions.

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VI.SampleCharacteristics

Thesampleconsistedof126females(64.6%)and69males(35.4).Student

respondentswereallatleastsophomoreclassification.Therewere7sophomores

(3.6%),159juniors(81.5%),and29seniors(14.9%).Ialsoanalyzedthe

characteristicsofoursampleintermsoftheirmajorareaofstudy.Inthisstudy,

therewere7liberalartsmajors(3.6%),3health/sciencemajors(1.5%),146

businessmajors(74.9%),2appliedsciencesmajors(1%),5nutrition/hospitality

majors(2.6%),22accountingmajors(11.3%),7engineeringmajors(3.6%),and3

journalismmajors(1.5%).

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VII.AnalysisofData

Afterreceivingandeditingrespondents’submissionsthroughQualtrics,data

wereexportedintoSPSS.SPSSisthestatisticalanalysistoolthatwasusedforthis

study.Withinthisprogram,specifictestswereruntoanalyzethedataset.Inorder

todeterminesignificantcategoriesofatmosphericsandservice,anexploratory

factoranalysistestwasperformed.Thisresultedinalistofquestionswithsimilar

factorloadings,whichwerethengroupedtogether.Throughthisfactoranalysis,six

separateclustersofsurveyquestionsweredeterminedtohavecorresponding

communalities.Thefactoranalysissupportedthefollowingdimensionswiththis

study:atmosphericsintermsofthearousalstatewithsightandsoundwithpositive

versusnegativefeelings,servicedelivery,tactilewithseating,andtrafficandcanbe

seeninTables1and2(SeeTables8and9inAppendicesforTotalFactorAnalysis).

Todeterminethevalidityofeachcluster,aChronbach’sAlphatestwasperformed.

Allalphavaluesare0.7orhigherindicatingsufficientreliabilityforthecluster.To

determinewhethertheNURaffectedpatrons’arousalstates,choiceoptions,paired

samplet-testscomparedtheNURtoOUontheidentifiedclusters.Finally,

correlationanalysiswasusedtoseeiftherewererelationshipsbetweenvarying

factors.

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VIII.Results

QuantitativeAnalysis

ResearchObjective1:AtmosphericsinfluenceinNURvs.OU

Thefirstcluster,positivefeelings,consistsoffivesurveyquestions,which

askedthedegreetowhichtheyfelt:delighted,relaxed,pleased,excited,and

comfortable.Thisdirectlycorrespondswithpreviousstudiesthatmeasured

patrons’levelsofemotionalresponsetovisualatmospherics.Itooktheaverageof

thecombinationoftheseresponsestocreateanewmeasureofpositivefeelingsfor

boththeNURandOU.StudentshavemorepositivefeelingsabouttheNURin

comparisontotheOU(MNew=5.21,MOld=4.46,t=9.85,p<.05).(SeeTable3)

Next,IclusteredquestionsregardingnegativefeelingstowardstheNURand

OU.Thisclusterinvolvedthedegreetowhichstudentsfelt:angry,displeased,

disappointed,andirritatedateitherNURorOU.Studentsreportedhavingmore

negativefeelingsattheOUthantheNUR(MNew=2.77,Mold=3.44,t=6.72,p<.05).

(SeeTable3)

ThethirdclusterIstudiedfocusedonthepositiveatmosphericsoftheNUR

andOU.Thisclusterconsistedofsixquestionsabout:howwarmandinvitingthe

colorsandlightingwere,howvisuallyappealingitwas,whethertheStudentUnion

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createdapleasantatmosphere,andhowpleasantthemusicwas.Withthesesix

questions,IfoundthattheNURcreatedamorepositiveatmospherethantheOU

(MNew=5.41,Mold=4.20,t=11.47,p<.05).(SeeTable3)

Lastly,thegeneralfacilitieswerecomparedusingquestionsfocusedonhow

cleanandaccessiblerestroomswereandhowclearlymarkedfacilitieswerefor

ADA.StudentsviewedtheNURassuperiorintheseaspectsincomparisontotheOU


ResearchObjective2:ServiceDeliveryattheNURvs.OU

Theservicedeliveryclustermainlyreferredtothespeedandefficiencythat

foodvendorsattheStudentUnionperform.Therearesomedifferencesbetweenthe

flowofserviceattheNURvs.theOU.EachvendorintheNURhasaslightlymore

definedspacecomparedtotheOU.Also,severalvendorsnowhavemultiplepoints

forpayment,whichcanspeedupthelines.However,thiswastheonlyclusterthat

yieldedresultsthatwereinsignificant.Ifoundnosignificantdifferenceinstudent

responsestoNURandOU’sdeliveryoforder(MNew=5.08,Mold=4.99,t=.976,p=

.38).(SeeTable3)

ResearchObjective3:TrafficatNURvs.OU

TrafficwasanothersignificantclusterwithinresponsestoboththeNURand

OU.Inthissituation,questionsabouttrafficintheStudentUnionconcernedhow

easilystudentscannavigatethespaceandhoweasyitistogetaround.TheNUR

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provedtohavemorefavorablefacilitiesscoresthantheOUinstudents’opinions


ResearchObjective4:EvaluatefoodserviceoptionsandchoicesatNURvs.OU

Onegoalofthisresearchwastocomparesimilarrestaurantvendorsfrom

boththepost-renovationandpre-renovationStudentUnions.Therewerethree

vendorsthatcontinuedfromtheOUandNUR:Qdoba,Chick-fil-A,andPanda

Express.EventhoughSubwayceasedresidenceintheStudentUnion,WhichWich

hastakentheirplaceasasandwichvendor.Bycombiningthesurveyquestions

specifictovendors,Icreatednewvariablesaccordingtothesenewandoldvendors

inordertorunpairedsamplet-tests.Iwillusethenextsectiontodiscussthese

differencesovertimeforvendors.

TherewerenosignificantdifferencesinresponsescoresbetweentheNUR

andOUversionsofQdoba(MNew=5.25,Mold=5.07,t=.47,p=.65)andPanda

Express(MNew=5.28,Mold=5.23,t=.41,p=.69).ThedifferencebetweenNURandOU

versionsofChick-fil-Aissomewhatsignificant(MNew=5.51,Mold=5.11,t=1.90,p=

22

.065).IncomparingSubwayandWhichWich,Imustacceptthatresponsesarenot

forthesamebrandorexactservice.However,itmaystillbehelpfultocompare

theseastheyfulfillsimilarservicetostudentsandcustomers.Evenwhencomparing

thetwodifferentvendors,therewaslittlescoringdifferencebetweenthetwo

(MWhich=5.20,MSubway=4.78,t=1.27,p=.22).(SeeTable4)

ResearchObjective5:FuturePatronageIntentionsatNUR

Threesurveyquestionsfocusedonfuturebehavioralintentionsofstudents.

Thesequestionsfocusedonintentionstoreturntoaspecificvendor,torecommend

aspecificvendor,andtosaypositivethingsaboutaspecificvendor.Iwantedtosee

ifstudentswouldatleastsaythattheyagreed(testvalue=6)withthesestatements.

Ifoundthatstudentsagreedthattheywouldreturninthefuture(MReturn=6.34,

t=6.37,p<.05),thattheywouldrecommendthevendortotheirfriends(MRecommend=

6.17,t=2.70,p<.05),andthattheywouldsaypositivethingsaboutthevendorto

theirfriends(MPositive=6.16,t=2.36,p<.05).Thesefindingsmeanthatstudents’

overallevaluationsarepositivewhichleadstopositivewordofmouthandloyaltyto

vendors.(SeeTable5)

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Ialsowasinterestedinseeingthedegreetowhichbehavioralintentions

correspondwiththevariousclusters.Thethreebehavioralintentionquestionswere

combinedtocreateonebehavioralintentionsvariabletobeusedfortesting.Ifound

thateachofthesixclustershavesignificantcorrelationwiththebehavioral

intentionsvariable.Thestrongestcorrelationwasbetweenbehavioralintentionand

deliveryoforder(r=.49,p<.05).Nextwasthecorrelationbetweenbehavioral

intentionsandpositivefeelings(r=.44,p<.05).Afterthetoptwocorrelationswere

therelationshipsbetweenbehavioralintentionand:traffic(r=.39,p<.05),positive

atmospherics(r=.34,p<.05),negativefeelings(r=-.34,p<.05),andfacilities(r=.31,

p<.05).Thenegativefeelingsclusterwastheonlycategorytohaveaninverse

relationshipwithbehavioralintentions,asexpected.(SeeTable6)

Afterthecorrelationanalysiswasperformed,Iwascurioustofigureout

whichclustersaffectedpatrons’behavioralintentionsthemost.Inordertoresearch

this,aregressionanalysiswasperformedwiththebehavioralintentionsagainst

eachofthesixNURclusters.Thistestdifferentiatedwhichofthesixclustersimpact

consumers’futurebehavioralintentions.Onlytwoofthesixfactorswere

determinedtobesignificantpredictorsofbehavioralintentionscores.Thefirst

significantclusterisNURnegativefeelings.Itwastheonlyclusterwithanegative

coefficient.AnegativecoefficientinthiscategoryactuallybodeswellfortheNUR.A

negativecoefficientindicatesthatpatronswhohavelessnegativefeelingshave

strongerbehavioralintentions.TheothersignificantfactorwasNURdeliveryof

service.Thisindicatesthathigherservicedeliveryscoresmorestronglypredict

24

behavioralintentions.NURfacilitiesclusterwastheonlyothersomewhatsignificant

grouping(p=.07).(SeeTable7)

25

QuantitativeAnalysisSummary

Thesurveyresultsanswermanyofourresearchobjectives.Throughthis

analysisIfoundsignificantimprovementinstudents’opinionsabouttheNUR.

Behavioralintentionsscoreswereoverallsignificantandpositive.Furthermore,

behavioralintentionscoressignificantlycorrespondedwiththemajorityof

atmosphericcomponents.Whiletherewasnosignificantcorrelationbetween

negativefeelingsandbehavioralintentions,thisisn’tabadthing.Ifstudentshadany

negativefeelings,thefeelingswerenotsignificantlyimpactingtheirfuture

behaviors.Therewasnotmuchevidencetosupportincreasedpositiveopinions

aboutspecificvendors.OnlyChick-fil-Asawanincreaseinscores.TheNURcanuse

thisinformationtomakefutureplansandimprovementstothefoodcourtarea.

QualitativeAnalysis

Theresearchalsosoughtstudents’commentsandopinionsaboutthefeelings

andattitudestowardsboththeNURandOU.Theopen-endedquestionsaskedwhat

studentslikedordislikedabouttheNURandOU.Toanalyzethisdata,common

26

categorieswerecreatedafterreadingthroughalloftheresponses.Oncecategories

wereestablished,responsesweresortedintooneormoreofthesecategories.Each

open-endedquestionrequiredaresponseinorderforastudenttocontinueon

throughthesurvey.Therefore,therearestill195totalresponsesforeachofthe

qualitativequestions.

ResearchObjective6:QualitativeAnalysis:StudentcommentsonfeelingsaboutNURvs.OU

NURvs.OU:StudentLikes

IwillstartwiththeOU.Subwaywasthemostcommonresponsetowhat

studentslikedabouttheOU(56/195respondents).Thisisaninterestingstatisticto

examineincomparisontotheWhichWichsubstitutethatwasplacedintheStudent

Unionpost-renovation.Whileitwasclearinthequalitativediscussionthatstudents

werefondoftheSubway,thiswasnotnecessarilytrueinthequantitativeanalysis.

Previously,inapairedsamplest-test,Isawthattherewasnomeaningfuldifference

inscorebetweenSubwayandWhichWich.Perhapsnostalgiaplaysafactorinthe

frequentresponsefavoringSubway.Onlyafewrespondentselaboratedontheir

affectionforSubway.Bothnotedthatitwasahealthieroptionthanwhatthecurrent

vendorsoffer.However,IwasunabletofullyunderstandwhatmadeSubwaysucha

popularchoiceinthissectionofthesurvey.

WiththeSubwayresponseasanexception,Icanusetherestofthe

qualitativedataregardingtheOUtogaugewhatstudentsreallydidenjoyordislike.

27

Thenexttwomostpopularanswersinthefavorableresponsecategorywerethe

loungearea(23/195comments)andtheseatingingeneral(19/195comments)in

theOU.TheloungeareaisnotaseasilycomparablefromNURtoOU.Thisismainly

duetotheunfinishedareaoftheNUR.WhileIcan’tcomparethetwointhisarea,

thisdatacanbetakenintoaccountwhenplanningtheupcomingsectionsofthe

StudentUnion.Theseatingissomethingtotakenoteofforfutureplansaswell.Out

ofthepositivecommentsaboutseating,manywerespecifictotheboothsintheOU.

WhileitmaynotbefeasibletoremodelaftersuchashortspanintheNUR,itcanbe

viewedasagoaltoworktowards.(SeeGraph1)

Othernotable,positivecommentsdiscussedhowitwasbeneficialtohavea

bookstoreintheStudentUniononcampus(9/195).OthersnotedhowtheOUfelt

“home-y”andhadasenseofcomfort(8/195comments).Onesignificantgroupof

respondentssaidtheyhadnothingtheylikedabouttheOU(14/195comments).

HavingthismanystudentsnotbeabletonameonethingtheyenjoyedabouttheOU

iscertainlyconcerning,andprovesafairmotivationfortherenovation.Thisleads

ustoaskwhetherstudentshavemorepositivethingstosayabouttheNUR.(See

Graph1)

LookingattheNUR,itisobviousthattherearesomenewqualitiesthat

studentshavebeenimpressedby.Mostnotably,thevendoroptions(89/195

comments)havebeenseenasamajorupside.Thisisquiteimpressivethatnearly

halfoftherespondentsallindicatedapositivefeelingtowardstheupdatedlistof

vendors.Thenexttwomostpopularcommentsintermsofwhatstudentslikeabout

theNURaretheimprovedlook(33/195comments)andlayout(31/195comments).

28

WhencomparingtothedislikesthatstudentshadabouttheOU,thisisencouraging

toseethatsomeofthemostprevalentnegativesfromtheOUweremovedintothe

positivecategoryfortheNUR.Therenovationsucceededinpromotingafreshlook,

andmanyofthecommentsinregardstothelookandlayoutmentionedhow

modernandopenthespacefelt.Somealsoindicatedthattheyadmiredthelarge

windowsthatallownaturallighttofloodthespace.Seatingwasanothersomewhat

popularcomment(12/195comments).Theamountofpositivecommentsabout

seatingdecreasedsomewhatfromtheOUtotheNUR,butnotbymuch.(SeeGraph

2)

29

NURvs.OU:StudentDislikes

Therewerethreemaincategoriesofresponsesaboutwhatstudentsdidnot

likeabouttheOU.ThethreetopscoringcategoriesreflectedviewsthattheOUwas:

crowded(41/195comments),outdated(32/195comments),anddirtyorgross

(27/195comments).Theseareallfairlyunderstandableandexpectedtoacertain

degree.Consideringthebuildingwasroughly40yearsold,ithadexperiencedsome

wearandtear.Ofcourse,ithadbeenmodifiedandrenovatedinsmallerways

throughoutthefollowingyears,buttheinitialstructuresurelycreatedan

environmentthatstudentscametoviewascrowded,outdated,anddirty.Twoother

significantcategoriesofstudentssaidthattheOUwasvisuallyunappealing(17/195

30

comments)andhadapoorlayout(17/195comments).Thesebothwerefactors

mostlikelyduetotheageofthebuilding,whichlendsmorereasonforamajor

renovation.ThetotalenrollmentattheUniversityofMississippihasnearlydoubled

sincetheoriginalStudentUnionwasbuilt(“OfficeofInstitutionalResearch,

Effectiveness,andPlanning”,2017).(SeeGraph3)

Byanalyzingstudents’commentsaboutwhattheydislikeabouttheNUR,I

canseewhethercertainaspectsoftheOUreallywereimproved.Unfortunately,two

categorieswereextremelyprominent.First,overafifthofrespondentssaidthat

longlineswereamajorissueintheNUR(43/195comments).Thenumberof

complaintsaboutlinesattheNURoutnumbersthoseoftheOU.However,thiscould

simplybebecausetherewasanarrowerarrayofpotentialcomplaintsaboutthe

NUR.Thequantitativeanalysisfurtherprovesthatstudentsdonotbelievethatlines

arebetterattheNUR.Inthatparticulartest,therewasnosignificantdifference

betweenNURandOU.Inaddition,manypointedouttheNURbeingextremely

crowded(36/195comments).Whilethesetwoanswercategoriescouldbeseenas

anexpectedresultwiththeopeningofanewfoodoutletoncampus,therearesome

measuresthatcouldbetakentoimprovethis.Inregardstocomplaintsaboutlong

lines,manyofcoursewerefrustratedbythewaittime,buttheywerealsoupset

withthestructureofthelines.AttheStudentUnion,therecurrentlyisverylittle

structureordirectionforstudentstoformlinesatvendors.Onestudentevensaid,

“thelineskindofgetconfusing”atafewofthevendors.Thisaddedstressorisone

thatcouldbeworkedtowardsbeingeliminatedbyadministration.Byaddingroped

offareasforlinestodevelopatpeakhours,muchofthisconfusioncouldbe

31

eliminated.Inaddition,thiscouldeliminatesomeofthecrowdedandcluttered

feelingsfromtheeatingspace.(SeeGraph4)

Whilethosefactorsmayhavepotentialsolutions,somecommonresponses

cannotsimplybesolvedthroughlineropes.Forexample,studentssaidthatthey

dislikedtheNURbeingunfinished(28/195comments).Whilethisisan

understandablefrustration,itdoesnotindicateanyactionableinformationfor

administrationtouse.Similarly,manystudentsnotedfrustrationswithnavigation

bothinsideandoutsideoftheNUR(10/195comments).Thisisalsodueinlarge

parttotheconstructionactivityintheoppositehalfoftheStudentUnion,which

affectsstudents’routesaroundthebuilding.Somestudentsalsosaidthattheyhad

nodislikesabouttheNUR(10/195comments).Whilethisisn’tanincredibly

significantportionofstudents,itisgoodtoseethatthereareafewthatarethat

satisfiedwiththeNUR.(SeeGraph4)

Someothercommentsworthtakingnoteincludestudents:wantingmore

foodoptions(11/195comments),beingunhappythereisn’taSubway(8

comments),andbeingunsatisfiedwithStudentUnionemployees(8/195

comments).Studentsalsoindicateddispleasurewiththetemperature(6/195

comments)andthecleanlinessoftheStudentUnion(6/195comments).(SeeGraph

4)

Thesequalitativemeasuresareimportanttodiscussandanalyzebecause

theyholdtherealopinionsofstudents.Usingthisinformation,administrationcan

determinefutureplansthatstudentswilltrulyenjoy.

32

33

IX.PostHocTestsandAnalysis

GiventheresultsonatmospherecomparingtheNURtoOU,thequestionof

thosepatronizingtheNURvs.theOUmighthavedifferingperceptionswhetherthey

weremaleorfemale.ToanswerthisIanalyzedresponsesfrommenandwomenin

termsofatmosphericsperceptions.AstudybyLeein2016foundthatmenand

womendifferintermsofhowatmosphericsaffectattitudesandperceptions.

Femalesandmaleshadsignificantdifferencesofscoresformultiplecategoriesthat

includedquestionsregardingvisualappearance,seating,music,andmenu(Lee,

2016).TheonefactorinLee’sstudythatresultedinnosignificantdifferencewas

hygienepurity.

ItestedposthocwhetherthesedifferedfortheallclustersintheNURand

OU.TherewasonlyoneOUcluster,OUfacilities,whichyieldedsignificant

differenceswhencomparingmalesandfemales.TheNURonlysawdifferencesin

maleandfemaleswhenitcametobehavioralintentionscores.Thesequestions

werenotincludedfortheOUasthatoptionisnolongeravailable.Themajorityof

otherclusterssawlittledifferencebetweengenders.Amongthosethathadno

differencewere:NURnegativefeelings(p=1.00),OUnegativefeelings(p=.92),NUR

positiveatmospherics(p=.35),OUpositiveatmospherics(p=.99),NURtraffic

(p=.21),OUtraffic(p=.54),NURdelivery(p=.81),OUdelivery(p=.38),NURpositive

feelings(p=.63),OUpositivefeelings(p=.40),andNURfacilities(p=.52).Thefinal

twoclustersresultedinsignificantdifferencesinopinionbetweenmalesand

females:OUfacilities(p<.05)andNURbehavioralintentions(p<.05).Thisindicates

thatmaleshadamorefavorableopinionthanfemaleshadaboutthefacilitiesatthe

34

OU.However,bothofthesescoresincreasedfromOUfacilitiestoNURfacilities

indicatingthatthisdifferenceisnolongerpresent.Thedifferenceinbehavioral

intentionsshowsthatfemalesaremorelikelythanmalestorevisit,recommend,and

saypositivethingsabouttheNUR(SeeTable7).Itisworthnotingthatthetwo

samplegroupsinthistestarenotofequalsize.Becausethefemalesamplewas

nearlytwiceasbigasthemalesample,theresultsmaybepartiallyskewed.

35

X.ImplicationsforNURandMovingForward

ThisstudyhasshownthattherenovationoftheStudentUnionhasbrought

anoverallimprovementinstudents’opinionsandactions.Higherscoresforvisual,

aural,andtactileatmosphericscorrespondwithimprovedfeelingsandfuture

patronageintentions.Thesequantitativeresultscombinedwiththequalitativedata

observedprovethatstudentsenjoytheupdatedandnewatmospherethattheNUR

presents.ComplaintswerepresentforboththeNURandOU,butoverallthe

complaintsregardingcontrollableissuesdeclined.

Itisworthnotingthatotherdiningoptionshavebecomeavailableon

campus,asthesizeoftheuniversityhasgrown.ThePavilionisanewoptionthat

offerstwovendors,andtheRebelMarkethasalsobeenrenovatedrecently.These

twooptionscanalleviatethecrowdlevelsattheNUR.Astheuniversitybeginsto

expanditssouthsideofcampus,thePavilioninparticularcouldattractlarger

crowds.Bydispersingcrowds,thewaittimesatalldininglocationscouldbeshorter.

36

XI.LimitationsoftheStudy

Thereareseverallimitationsthatcoincidewiththisstudy.First,comparing

theNURandOUhassomeinevitableissues.WhiletheNURisstillunder

constructionforcertainsupportservices(bookstore,offices,meetingspace,etc.),

thefoodcourtareaisopen.Also,whilenavigatingintermsofthelimitedentrance

pointscanbeahassle,theydoallleaddirectlyintothefoodcourtarea.Inaddition,

thepurposeofthissurveyistomeasurethevariouselementsofatmosphericsinthe

foodcourtareaoftheStudentUnion.IsolatingcurrentfactorswithintheNURwas

thebestwaytostrayfromissuesregardingthebuildingnotbeingcompletely

finished.However,therearestillissuesthatcannotbecompletelyeliminated.For

example,manystudentsinthequalitativesectionofthesurveynotedthattheydid

notlikethattheNURwasnotfinished.Theseresponsesmayhavethrownoff

proportionstobecomparedwiththeOU.HadtheNURbeencomplete,more

meaningfulinformationcouldhavebeenreceived.Thislimitationwouldalsobe

verydifficulttoovercomeduetothetimelineofrenovationontheStudentUnion.In

orderforastudenttobeconsideredforthissurvey,theymusthavevisitedthe

StudentUnionbothpriorandpostrenovation.IfIwastowaitfortheStudentUnion

tobefullycompleted,theremaynotbeasuitablesampleofstudentswhohadstill

visitedtheOU.

Therearealsodegreesofimpactanddatalimitationswithourstudy.By

focusingonacertainrangeofstudentswhohaveattendedtheStudentUnionprior

andpostrenovation,Ihaverestrictedourpopulationtoasmallnumberin

comparisontothetotaluniversitypopulation.Oursamplesizeof195isalso

37

somewhatsmallinthegreaterscopeoftheuniversity.Thislimitsthecertaintyof

anyfindingsthatImayhavefoundthroughoutthecourseofthisstudy.Theimpact

limitationcouldbeviewedasanissueregardingthegeneralizabilityofthisstudy.

Thedemographicsofstudentsinthissurveydonotcompletelyandaccurately

portraythecampuspopulation.Byonlyusingbusinessclassestogainresponses,

studentsofothermajorsaremadetobeaminority.Thisstudywasparticularly

designedtomeettheinformationneedstobetterservestudents’needsatthe

UniversityofMississippi.However,thereisstillinformationpresentinthisdatathat

couldbeusedforotheron-campusdiningvenuesacrossthecountry.

38

Conclusion

Movingforward,moreresearchcanbedonetofrequentlymeasurestudents’

attitudesandperceptionsoftheStudentUnion.Iwouldsuggestalongitudinalstudy

becarriedouttoseehowresponsesmaychangeaftertherestoftheStudentUnion

iscompleted.Thistypeofsurveycanalsobeadaptedforotherdiningoptionson

campussuchastheRebelMarketandPavilion.Alloptionsoncampusshouldreflect

apositiveenvironmentontheUniversityofMississippicampus.Futuresurveysfor

theStudentUnion(oranyotherdiningoptions)couldincludepicturesofdifferent

layoutsandcolorschemesinordertogaugestudents’attitudesbeforerenovations.

Aftercompletingthisprocess,thereareafewaspectsofthestudythatmay

havebeenofinterestbutwerenotincludedinthisparticularsurvey.First,questions

regardingstudents’opinionsaboutthepricesatvariousvendorswouldhavebeen

beneficial.Also,askinghowtheStudentUnionasawholecomparestootherdining

optionsoncampuscouldhaveyieldedsignificantinformation.Onceagain,an

analysisoftheseperceptionsaftertheStudentUnionisfullyopenwouldalsobea

beneficialtopicofresearchmovingforward.

ThisstudycarriessignificanceforthefuturedevelopmentoftheStudent

UnionattheUniversityofMississippi.Severalareaswereanalyzed,anddatahas

revealedhowstudentsviewupdatestotheStudentUnion.Overall,studentshave

proventoviewmostatmosphericqualitiesoftheNURbetterthantheOU.TheNUR

scoredbetterintheclustersofpositiveatmospherics,facilities,andtraffic.Most

notableforthisparticularstudy,theimprovedatmosphericsandpositivefeelings

scoresindicateasignificantimprovementintheNUR’svisualandauralcategories.

39

TheimprovedtrafficscoresprovethatthephysicalevidenceatNURissignificantly

betterthantheOU.Thisalsocoincidedwithhigherscoresforpositivefeelingsand

lowerscoresfornegativefeelings.Ifoundverylittledifferentiationacrossgenderin

termsofattitudesaboutbothNURandOU.However,Ididfindthatfemaleswere

lesssatisfiedwithOUfacilities,buttheyweremorelikelytoreporthigherscoresof

futurebehavioralintentionstheNUR.Throughqualitativeanalysis,Igainedinsight

intospecificareasthatstudentslikeanddislikeabouttheStudentUnion,whichcan

furtherinfluencedecisionstobemadeaboutthefacility.

40

Bibliography

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Baker,J.,Grewal,D.,&Parasuraman,A.(1994).Theinfluenceofstoreenvironmentonqualityinferencesandstoreimage.Journaloftheacademyofmarketingscience,22(4),328-339.

Bitner,M.J.(1992).Servicescapes:Theimpactofphysicalsurroundingsoncustomersandemployees.theJournalofMarketing,57-71.

Bone,P.F.,&Ellen,P.S.(1999).Scentsinthemarketplace:Explainingafractionofolfaction.Journalofretailing,75(2),243-262.

Han,H.,&Ryu,K.(2009).Therolesofthephysicalenvironment,priceperception,andcustomersatisfactionindeterminingcustomerloyaltyintherestaurantindustry.JournalofHospitality&TourismResearch,33(4),487-510.

Kotler,P.(1973).Atmosphericsasamarketingtool.Journalofretailing,49(4),48-64.

Lee,L.,Lee,M.J.,&Dewald,B.(2016).Measuringthecustomers’perceptionoftangibleservicequalityintherestaurantindustry:anemphasisontheupscalediningsegment.JournalofFoodserviceBusinessResearch,19(1),21-38.

Litvin,S.W.,Goldsmith,R.E.,&Pan,B.(2008).Electronicword-of-mouthinhospitalityandtourismmanagement.Tourismmanagement,29(3),458-468.

Liu,Y.,&Jang,S.S.(2009).Theeffectsofdiningatmospherics:AnextendedMehrabian–Russellmodel.Internationaljournalofhospitalitymanagement,28(4),494-503.

Michon,R.,Chebat,J.C.,&Turley,L.W.(2005).Mallatmospherics:theinteractioneffectsofthemallenvironmentonshoppingbehavior.JournalofBusinessResearch,58(5),576-583.

Milliman,R.E.(1986).Theinfluenceofbackgroundmusiconthebehaviorofrestaurantpatrons.Journalofconsumerresearch,13(2),286-289.

“OfficeofInstitutionalResearch,Effectiveness,andPlanning.”OfficeofInstitutionalResearch,Effectiveness,andPlanning|EnrollmentData,2017,irep.olemiss.edu/institutional-research/enrollment-data/.

“OleMissStudentUnionHistory.”OleMissStudentUnion,union.olemiss.edu/renovationexpansion/history/.

Sulek,J.M.,&Hensley,R.L.(2004).Therelativeimportanceoffood,atmosphere,andfairnessofwait:Thecaseofafull-servicerestaurant.CornellHotelandRestaurantAdministrationQuarterly,45(3),235-247.

41

Wall,E.A.,&Berry,L.L.(2007).Thecombinedeffectsofthephysicalenvironmentandemployeebehavioroncustomerperceptionofrestaurantservicequality.Cornellhotelandrestaurantadministrationquarterly,48(1),59-69.

42

Appendices

SurveyScreeningQuestions:

1.Areyou18+yearsofage? ____Yes____No

2.HaveyoueatenattheUnionduringtheFall2017semester?____Yes

____No

3.DidyoueatattheUnionpriortoUnionrenovationthroughFall2016?

___Yes____No

ThissectionofthesurveyseeksyouropinionsbasedontheFall2017Uniondining

choiceoptions.Pleaseanswerthequestionsbasedonyourexperiencevisitingthe

newlyrenovatedsectionoftheUnion.

PleasecheckalldiningoptionsyouhaveusedintheUnion

___Qdoba

___Chick-fil-A

___PandaExpress

___WhichWich

___McAlister’sDeli

Basedontheoptionsyouselected,whichdiningoptiondoyoumostoftenbuyfood

from?(ChooseOne)

___Qdoba

___Chick-fil-A

___PandaExpress

___WhichWich

___McAlister’sDeli

43

Yourresponsestothefollowingquestionsshouldbebasedonyourmostfrequently

selectedoptioninthepreviousquestion.

FoodandServiceQualityat<name>

Forthediningoptionyouselected,pleaseanswerthefollowingquestions.

(Onascalefrom1-7withanchorsbeing1=extremelydisagreeand7=extremely

agree)

1. The<name>hastastyfoodoptions

2. The<name>offershealthyfoodoptions

3. The<name>offersfreshfood

4. The<name>servesmyfoodexactlyasordered

5. Employeesarepleasanttodealwith

6. Employeesprocessmytransactionquickly

7. The<name>hasmybestinterestsatheart

8. The<name>isneatinappearance

9. <name>linesareshorttoplaceanorder

10. <name>hasashortwaittimetogetmyfood

11. <name>processesmytransactionquickly

12. <name>pricesarereasonable.

13. <name>alwaysdeliversmyordererrorfree.

14. <name>hasanefficientlayout.

15. <name>diningareaisneatandclean

BehavioralIntentions


agree)

Concerning<name>food:

1. Iwouldliketocomebacktothe<name>inthefuture

44

2. Iwouldrecommendthe<name>tomyfriends

3. Iwouldsaypositivethingsaboutthe<name>toothers

Atmospherics

WhenIvisittheNewUnionIfeel/believe…


agree)

1. Icaneasilynavigatethespace.

2. Itiseasytogetaround

3. Itisvisuallyappealing

4. Thecolorsarewarmandinviting

5. Itcreatesapleasantatmosphere

6. Thelightingiswarmandinviting

7. Themusicispleasant

8. Thenoiselevelislow

9. Itsmellspleasant

10. TheUnioninteriorisalwayskeptatacomfortabletemperature

11. ThereisgoodsignagemakingiteasytofindwhatIamlookingfor.

NewUnionFacilities

WhenIvisittheNewUnion,Ifeel/believe…


agree)

1. Therestroomsareclean

2. Therestroomsareeasilyaccessible

3. Thetablesandchairsareclean

4. Thereareavarietyofseatingoptions

5. Navigatingthroughthespaceiseasy

6. Icanalwaysfindaplacetositandrelax.

45

7. Thespacefeelsopenandairy.

8. Idonotfeelcrowdedwhenvisiting.

9. Itiscongestedandnoisy.

10. Theareaisoftenmessy.

11. Thearea/spaceoftenfeelscold.

12. Thespaceisuninviting.

Emotion

Forthefollowingsection:

(Onascalefrom1-7withanchorsbeing1=extremelydisagreeand7=strongly

agree)

AttheNewUnion,Ifeel….

1. Pleased

2. Excited

3. Comfortable

4. Irritated

5. Disappointed

6. Displeased

7. Delighted

8. Angry

9. Relaxed

Q:OnethingIreallylikeaboutthenewunion(giveatextboxforresponse)

Q:OnethingIdislikeaboutthenewunion(textbox)

Q:OverallIthinkthenewunionis________(youcouldhaveatextboxorgivethem

choiceoptions…)

“Nowthatyouhavevisited/patronizedthenewunion,pleasethinkaboutthe

Unionpriortotherenovation,e.g.‘OldUnion’uptoFall2016.Comparethe

‘NewUnion’experiencetothe‘OldUnion’experiencetorespondtothe

46

followingquestions.Comparingyouroldunionexperiencetothenewunion

experience…

PleasecheckalldiningoptionsyouhaveusedintheUnion

___Qdoba

___Chick-fil-A

___PandaExpress

___Subway

___Other:_________(PleaseList)

Basedontheoptionsyouselected,whichdiningoptiondidyoumostoftenbuyfood

from?(ChooseOne)

___Qdoba

___Chick-fil-A

___PandaExpress

___Subway

___Other:(PleaseList)

Yourresponsestothefollowingquestionsshouldbebasedonyourmostfrequently

selectedoptioninthepreviousquestion.

FoodandServiceQualityat<name>

Forthediningoptionyouselected,pleaseanswerthefollowingquestions.


agree)

1. The<name>hadtastyfoodoptions

2. The<name>offeredhealthyfoodoptions

3. The<name>offeredfreshfood

4. The<name>servedmyfoodexactlyasordered

5. Employeeswerepleasanttodealwith

6. Employeesprocessedmytransactionquickly

7. The<name>hadmybestinterestsatheart

47

8. The<name>wasneatinappearance

9. <name>lineswereshorttoplaceanorder

10. <name>hadashortwaittimetogetmyfood

11. <name>processedmytransactionquickly

12. <name>priceswerereasonable.

13. <name>alwaysdeliveredmyordererrorfree.

14. <name>hadanefficientlayout.

15. <name>diningareawasneatandclean

Atmospherics

WhenIvisittheOldUnionIfeel/believe…


agree)

1. Icouldeasilynavigatethespace.

2. Itwaseasytogetaround

3. Itwasvisuallyappealing

4. Thecolorswerewarmandinviting

5. Itcreatedapleasantatmosphere

6. Thelightingwaswarmandinviting

7. Themusicwaspleasant

8. Thenoiselevelwaslow

9. Itsmelledpleasant

10. TheUnioninteriorisalwayskeptatacomfortabletemperature

11. ThereisgoodsignagemakingiteasytofindwhatIamlookingfor.

OldUnionFacilities

WhenIvisittheoldUnion,Ifeel/believe…

48


agree)

1. Therestroomswereclean

2. Therestroomswereeasilyaccessible

3. Thetablesandchairswereclean

4. Therewasavarietyofseatingoptions

5. Navigatingthroughthespacewaseasy

6. Icouldalwaysfindaplacetositandrelax.

7. Thespacefeltopenandairy.

8. Ididnotfeelcrowdedwhenvisiting.

9. Itwascongestedandnoisy.

10. Theareawasoftenmessy.

11. Thearea/spaceoftenfeltcold.

12. Thespacewasuninviting.

Emotion

Forthefollowingsection:


agree)

AttheOldUnion,Ifeel….

1. Pleased

2. Excited

3. Comfortable

4. Irritated

5. Disappointed

6. Displeased

7. Delighted

8. Angry

9. Relaxed

49

OnethingIreallylikedabouttheoldunion:(textbox)

OnethingIreallydislikedabouttheoldunion:(textbox)

Overallcomparingthenewuniontotheoldunion,Iwouldsay….(textbox)

Demographics

Gender:___Male___Female___Prefernottoanswer

Classificationinschool:___Freshman___Sophomore___Junior___Senior

50

TotalFactorAnalysis

Table8–OUTotalFactorAnalysis

51

Table9–NURTotalFactorAnalysis

Documents

Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool: The Influence of the ...thesis.honors.olemiss.edu/1072/1/Grayson Huber Thesis...Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool: The Influence of the Student Union