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The research aims to investigate consumer decision‐making strategies using quantitative and qualitative methods. Two decision theories are contrasted: neoclassical theory proposes compensatory and optimising strategies with complete information, whilst bounded rationality theory suggests simplified and non‐compensatory strategies. The research assesses whether these theories will explain consumers' decision‐making strategies when completing a survey, and the extent to which qualitative and quantitative methods provide convergent validity of the explanations.

A computer‐based choice survey was administered to university students and staff. The choice task was to select a preferred potato from sets of potatoes with different attributes. Information for each attribute was initially hidden by a “card”; respondents had to reveal the information by clicking on the card with the computer mouse. The survey recorded the order of mouse clicks, providing quantitative data on decision strategies. Some respondents were also interviewed about their decision processes, which provided qualitative data on strategies.

Respondents left over one‐fifth of the cards unopened. Interview findings confirmed that respondents generally did not obtain all available information and used simplified strategies. The qualitative data were generally validated by the quantitative data and provided improved descriptions of decision strategies.

Some qualitative data can not be verified with quantitative data, and the convenience sample of university students and staff may limit the generalisability of the findings.

The paper suggests that consumers may not use all available information when making choices. The neoclassical assumption of full information may therefore not hold. It also indicates that probing decision strategies with qualitative questioning provides accurate data and better details than could be obtained quantitatively.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be risky for organizations on many fronts. They are not only resource intensive but they can be perceived by stakeholders as “greenwashing;” meaning the organization works to appear more ethical than they are in practice (Pompper, 2015). This chapter explores the complementary roles that human resources and public relations may play in creating a transparent and authentic CSR program that builds community relations and value for internal and external stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes a CSR strategy based on the Open Social Innovation (OSI) model and Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) framework; both constructs that call for developing stakeholder partnerships that build capacity and empower communities. This chapter offers a case study of the CSR initiative of health-care provider, Johnson & Johnson, to illustrate how OSI-based CSR (1) contributes significantly to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan African communities, (2) facilitates the creation of synergies between human resources and public relations, ensuring that CSR initiatives are driven by a partnership of internal and external stakeholders; and (3) enables authentic corporate citizenship communication without sacrificing shareholder value.

Examines the relationship between accessibility to information technology and research publications among users of agricultural libraries in Nigeria. A self‐constructed questionnaire, which had a reliability coefficient of 0.90, was used to collect data. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed and a response rate of 78.7 per cent was obtained. Data were analyzed using the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and the student t‐test. Results showed that there was no significant association between accessibility and research publications. The finding is discussed in the context of information technology benefits in developing countries generally. Suggestions are proffered on how to improve the benefits of IT access.

Presents a review on implementing finite element methods on supercomputers, workstations and PCs and gives main trends in hardware and software developments. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on the subjects retrospectively to 1985 and approximately 1,100 references are listed.

Washington's Statewide Virtual Reference (VRS) Project began in 2001, following some early adapters, but also at a time when most libraries and states still were considering the merits, possibilities, and pitfalls of the service. This chapter follows the development and implementation of a virtual reference (VR) service, along with support activities such as training, marketing, and assessment, in several collaborative library alliances across Washington State; describes unexpected opportunities, and plans for future sustainability. It ends with an analysis of experiences, successes, and failures, along with plans for the future based on the many things that were learned.

Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and interpretations of the life of Woody Guthrie.

This study aims to present a history and critical analysis of arms and armor collecting in America from the late 19th century until the present day.

The research draws from the literature on arms and armor, from primary written, visual and material evidence, and from the author’s long experience as an antique gun and sword collector.

American arms and armor collectors have included men of great wealth, museums and their curators and many enthusiasts of more modest means. Collectors, dealers and curators have created a substantial arms literature. Collectors have organized around various types of artifacts, historical periods and company brands. Dealers, auction houses and manufacturers have provisioned the market with period pieces and reproductions.

The history of antique arms and armor collecting is regarded as a social activity where enthusiasts have pursued “serious leisure” through consumption and brand communities. This history is further analyzed as a cultural practice wherein generations of collectors have interpreted the meaning of antique arms and armor.

This paper aims to provide a guide to significant primary and secondary resources relevant to the study of Emily Dickinson and her poetry.

Online catalogs, bibliographies, and the worldwide web were searched to identify relevant items. In some cases, citation analysis and other bibliometric measures were used to determine the highest‐impact sources. Items were annotated after personal examination by the author. The paper is divided into two main sections: primary sources (anthologies, databases and web resources) and secondary sources (bibliographies, databases, biographical resources, reference resources, monographs, journals and web resources).

The paper introduces each resource, indicating its scope and contribution to the study of Dickinson. It acknowledges in particular the developments in recent Dickinson scholarship.

Dickinson remains popular among both scholars and laypeople, but the most recent bibliographies of Dickinson scholarship date to the late 1980s. This guide provides a late twentieth‐ to early twenty‐first‐century update to those earlier works.

The Internet is changing the way that companies carry out their business and, in fact, constitutes an entirely new application domain, which makes product innovation possible. Moreover, it is a new medium for reaching consumers, which is a central preoccupation to organisations in the current business market. Here interest lies in video chatting on the Internet. This is a type of service that adds video support to chatting using a Web cam and is gradually attracting more Internet users. The paper consists of a market feasibility study evaluating the potential commercialisation of a software program that enables the “cutting away” of the chatters from the original background filmed by the Web cam, and later re‐integrates them into a new background. The software program could, therefore, be interesting for advertising companies.