Randall C. Campbell

Being new‐customer friendly: determinants of service perceptions in retail banking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the attributes that influence perceptions of customer service in the retail banking setting from a non‐customer perspective.Design/methodology/approach – This research employs a mystery shopping approach to identify and measure key service attributes that predict the likelihood of an individuals choosing a banking location.Findings – The measures employed accurately predicted positive and negative outcomes based on respondent choices. The data suggest that personal elements of service may be of critical importance in cultivating new customer relationships.Originality/value – Existing research related to bank service primarily focuses on customers in the context of their existing institutional relationship. This study examines a largely unexplored area of service, specifically, the issues most important to prospective customers with regard to banking choices.

Imposing parameter inequality restrictions using the principle of maximum entropy

In this paper, we propose a new way to impose parameter inequality constraints in a linear regression model using the principle of maximum entropy. We describe the generalized maximum entropy (GME) estimator and develop a method for imposing parameter inequality restrictions through the traditional GME parameter support matrix. In addition, we develop a more general parameter support matrix that allows us to impose a broader set of restrictions than is possible under the traditional formulation.

Teacher Training and Market Attitudes in Transitioning Economies

One of the ancillary goals of economic education programs in transitioning economies is to foster positive attitudes toward market economies. Using a simultaneous equations model to account for the interaction between attitudes and economics knowledge, this research examines the factors that contribute to the pro-market attitudes of teachers participating in economics training programs sponsored by the National Council on Economic Education in Russia, Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. Empirical results indicate that training increases the probability participants will possess positive attitudes toward market economies, but that possessing positive attitudes toward free-markets does not necessarily imply greater economics knowledge.

Academic Success and the Transfer of Community College Credits in the Principles of Economics

A growing number of today’s college students attend local 2-year community colleges. Many of these students will ultimately transfer to major universities in pursuit of the traditional Bachelors degree. The question of whether such transfer credits adequately prepare students for future academic endeavors is important for educators interested in preparing successful students and maintaining the quality of their institution. In this paper, we examine whether students who transfer credits earned for the traditional Principles of Economics course sequence achieve the same levels of academic success, measured in terms of GPA, as students taking the sequence at a major state university. The model indicates that community college transfer students perform poorly relative to native students in terms of cumulative GPA. This result is driven by a self-selection process whereby the more academically challenged students are those who choose to transfer credit from 2-year schools. The results of our model are used to develop a grade equivalency measure between the university and 2-year schools. Using this measure we are able to reject the hypothesis that grades are equivalent between 2- and 4-year institutions. Finally, we find that grades in the Principles of Economics sequence are strong predictors of overall academic success.

The influence of individual health outcomes on individual savings behavior

Abstract In this essay, data from the 2006 wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79-2006), and the two stage least squares (2SLS) estimation technique are used to investigate the relationship between health outcomes and the willingness of individuals (age 41–50) to save. Health perception, physical component score, mental component score, depression score and the diagnosis of a variety of health problems are used as health measures for the analysis described in this essay. We find that health perception and physical component score are positively related to the willingness of individuals to save; while the diagnosis of major health problems is negatively related to the willingness of individuals to save. The effect of mental component score and depression score on individuals’ willingness to save differs significantly between males and females. A higher mental component score is found to be positively related to the willingness of females to save; while depression score is found to affect the willingness of females to save negatively. Both mental component score and depression score are not related to the willingness of male respondents to save.