Bowling Green State University

About: Bowling Green State University is a education organization based out in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 8315 authors who have published 16042 publications receiving 482564 citations. The organization is also known as: BGSU.

Technology’s Impact on the Gaps Model of Service Quality

Abstract: This chapter presents a foundational framework for service science – the Gaps Model of Service Quality. For over two decades the model has been used across industries and worldwide to help companies formulate strategies to deliver quality service, to integrate customer focus across functions, and to provide a foundation for service as a competitive strategy. It was developed at a time when most services were delivered interpersonally and in real time without the advantages (and sometimes disadvantages) of technology infusion. In the intervening years, technology has profoundly changed the nature of service(s) and at the same time it has influenced strategies for closing each of the service quality gaps. Thus, this chapter has a dual purpose: to provide a general overview of the Gaps Model of Service Quality and to demonstrate how key aspects of the model have changed and evolved due to advances in technologies. We begin with background on the Gaps Model and a discussion of the role of technology and services in general. We then discuss strategies for closing each gap in the model and illustrate the influence of technologies on these fundamental management strategies.

Reaching for gold and the price of glory: a motivational case study of an Elite Gymnast.

Abstract: The present investigation is a qualitative case study of a former elite gymnast. The social cognitive approach to achievement motivation has been applied to understand and explain the behavior of this gymnast, her coaches, and her parents. The gymnast participated in three unstructured interviews which were grounded in a feminist view of sport and research (cf. Harding, 1991; Krane, 1994). The data analysis resulted in three dimensions: Motivational Climate, Evidence of an Ego Orientation, and Correlates of Ego Involvement. An ego-involved motivational environment was developed and reinforced by the gymnast’s coaches and parents. Her ego-involved goal orientation was revealed through her reliance on social comparison, emphasis on external feedback and rewards, need to demonstrate her superiority, and acting out behaviors in the face of adversity. This gymnast practiced and competed while seriously injured, employed unhealthy eating practices, overtrained, and refused to listen to medical advice in order t...

Brain opioids and mother-infant social motivation.

Abstract: Brain opioids were the first neurochemical system to be implicated in the elaboration of social-bonding processes. Although a variety of neurochemical systems help elaborate social rewards and specific social behaviors, the role of opioids in the control of maternal behavior remains controversial. Although a great deal of data indicate that intermediate doses of morphine can reduce maternal behavior, the evidence, taken together, suggests that endogenous opioids promote the regulatory control of maternal behavior, probably by providing feedback concerning the satisfaction that can be had from indulging in various maternal behaviors. Thus opioid blockade with naltrexone can reduce maternal competence in animals, while at the same time increasing maternal motivation. Opiate blockade likewise appears to increase the social motivation of rat pups, but reduces the reinforcing quality of interaction with the mother, suggesting that opioids provide feedback concerning the pleasurable qualities of social interaction in both mothers and infants. The clinical implications of this knowledge are not straightforward, but they generally suggest that clinically deficient social bonding might be capable of being strengthened via manipulation of brain opioid systems.

Differential levels of insect herbivory in the field associated with genotypic variation in glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Abstract: Glucosinolates are commonly found in Arabidopsis thaliana and its crucifer relatives, which are known for their role in defense against insect herbivory. In a common garden experiment, we assessed genotypic variation in glucosinolates in A. thaliana and evaluated the association between this chemistry and both plant damage and fitness. Specifically, glucosinolate concentrations were directly associated with damage levels and inversely associated with fitness. These results are contrary to the general expectation that enhanced chemical defense should result in decreased insect herbivory. As the measured insect community in this field trial was dominated by specialist herbivores, this positive relationship between glucosinolates and herbivory agrees with previous observations that glucosinolates (or their hydrolysis products) attract specialist insects. In addition, glucosinolate diversity in this common garden appeared to affect herbivore damage levels. For example, genotypes that contained alkenyl glucosinolates had higher mean damage levels than those that contained hydroxyalkyl glucosinolates. Results suggest that genotypic variation in glucosinolates may be a major factor in determining plant utilization patterns by insect herbivores in the field.