Bookselling Online: An Examination of Consumer Behaviour Patterns

Based upon empirical research, and using a range of methods, this paper examines the behaviour and experiences of consumers in online bookselling settings and offers comparison between online and offline (traditional) bookselling. The research finds that while the convenience of online bookshops is important, the key factors enticing consumers online are a combination of breadth of range, ease of access to obscure titles, as well as ‘personalised’ recommendations and customer reviews. The research is of value to the book trade, highlighting consumer responses to widely adopted online marketing approaches. The research also contributes to scholarly knowledge in the fields of consumer behaviour, e-marketing and e-commerce in online bookselling, as well as providing findings which can be tested in other online settings, informing future theoretical research.     

Fourteen Things to Look for When Hiring New Staff in Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery

As library employees retire or move on to other positions, library managers can take advantage of these opportunities to assess how well the vacant job's duties mesh with current organizational goals and needs. Positions in interlibrary loan and document delivery services (ILL/DDS) are no different. They should be evaluated and reviewed each time a vacancy needs to be filled to ensure that the expectations of the position are in line with the goals of the ILL/DDS department and the library.     

The Case for Audience Isolation: Language and Culture as Predictors of Advertiser Investment

Abstract

In what has become an increasingly multilingual United States, growing numbers of television advertisers have begun targeting foreign language speakers. Because of the increased cost and effort in crafting unique ad campaigns, however, the factors behind this investment decision are explored. Using an online survey, advertisers (N?=?1,150) were asked how they valued various demographic audience traits as they considered potential target markets. T tests revealed significant differences between foreign language and non-foreign language advertisers' audience preferences. Logistic regression showed that, contrary to previous audience valuation findings, household income was not a primary factor in foreign language audience investment decisions. Rather, advertisers who valued household income more were less likely to invest in foreign language audiences in the United States, with language dependency and cultural traits predicting a greater likelihood of investment. The Audience Investment by Isolation Model is offered, which can help explain the investment decision-making process by advertisers as they weigh demographic audience traits, audience isolation strategies, and costs.     

The relative impact of violation type and lie severity on judgments of message deceitfulness

This paper is part of a larger program of research assessing variables that underlie quantitative deceptiveness ratings. Several recent theoretical approaches, including Information Manipulation Theory (IMT), propose that deceptive messages are best understood as varying along two or more dimensions. At the same time, researchers have increasingly moved from dichotomous deception judgments to continuous deception ratings. This paper questions the validity of scaling degrees of deceptiveness along a single dimension, and argues that gradations in perceived deceptiveness reflect both the type of information manipulated and the severity of the consequences of the deception. This reasoning was tested with alxl experiment (N = 236) in which both the type of information manipulated and the severity of the consequences were systematically varied. As predicted, the results suggest that false messages (i.e., quality violations) are rated as more deceptive than lies of omission (i.e., quantity violations) when lie severity is low, but this difference diminishes as lie severity increases. In other words, false messages were rated as deceptive regardless of severity, but messages omitting information were rated as deceptive as false messages only when the consequences were serious. The implications for measuring deception are discussed.     

Aggression in news comments: how context and article topic shape user-generated content

News editors listed online aggression as one of the main constraints to audience participation and debate in the media. However, previous studies offer contradictory evidence on how aggression affects the amount and civility of user participation. Furthermore, a large portion of these studies focus on the Anglo-Saxon context and follow an experimental design. This study addresses these issues through a content analysis of over 26,000 news comments from two Portuguese newspapers, testing how aggression in comments relates to the number of replies it generates and the aggressiveness of these replies. Results show that aggression generates more aggression in comment sections, but may also increase participation. The latter effect is moderated by the article topic, an important caveat that may explain different outcomes in previous works. The practical implications of these findings and paths for future research are discussed.     

Books in review

DYNAMICS OF IDEALISM: WHITE ACTIVISTS IN A BLACK MOVEMENT. By N.J. Demerath, III, Gerald Marwell, and Michael T. Aiken. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass Inc., Publishers, 1971. $9.75.

TOMS, COONS, MULATTOES, MAMMIES, AND BUCKS: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY OF BLACKS IN AMERICAN FILMS. By Donald Bogle. New York: The Viking Press, 1973. $12.50.

RADICALS AND MILITANTS: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON CAMPUS UNREST. By Kenneth Keniston in collaboration with Mary‐Kay Duffield and Sharon Marti nek. Lexington, Mass: D.C. Heath and Company, 1973. $15.00     

Preschool children's math-related behaviors mediate curriculum effects on math achievement gains

This study used a mediational model to examine the effect of curriculum condition on student behaviors and how those behaviors related to math achievement gains. The student behaviors examined were children's participation in learning-related activities, talking during learning activities, and level of engagement with the materials. Conducted as part of a larger project involving the implementation and evaluation of a preschool mathematics curriculum, this study involved twenty urban prekindergarten sites with 57 classrooms randomly assigned to the new curriculum or a practice-as-usual condition. The final analytic sample included 675 children, predominately from low-income homes. Results showed that the greater gains made by children in curriculum classrooms were mediated by the number of times children were observed focused on mathematics and the number of times they were observed talking during mathematics. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of focusing on children's actual responses to a new curriculum in determining its effects.     

Countering violent and hate‐related materials on the Internet: Strategies for classrooms and communities

Abstract

School violence is of increasing concern to educators worldwide in the wake of tragedies such as the one in Littleton, Colorado. This article explores how hate group web sites, violent computer games, and related Internet activities are delivering material to young people with hostile and violent content. The Internet is also serving as a new vehicle for expression among students, sometimes conveying their messages of despair and hopelessness. The article discusses ways that teacher educators can equip future teachers to deal with these issues. It also examines what some schools and communities are currently doing to confront these issues and proposes ways to integrate Internet considerations into anti‐violence and mental health programs.     

Introduction: Through our eyes and in our own words

The realities of Indian belief and existence have become so misunderstood and distorted at this point that when a real Indian stands up and speaks the truth at any given moment, he or she is not only unlikely to be believed, but will probably be contradicted and "corrected" by the citation of some non-Indian and totally inaccurate "expert." More, young Indians in universities are now being trained to see themselves and their cultures in terms prescribed by such experts rather than in the traditional terms of the tribal elders ?. In this way, the experts are perfecting a system of self-validation in which all semblance of honesty and accuracy is lost. This is not only a travesty of scholarship, but it is absolutely devastating to Indian societies. (Deloria, as cited in Rose, 1992, p. 404)