Ishani Patel, Tricia J. Johnson, Andrew N. Garman, Samuel Hohmann, Paola Pescara, Jarrett Fowler and Shabnam Daneshgar
Hospitals catering to the unique needs of international patients often make substantial investments in their international program. Research has yet to evaluate the return on…
Abstract
Purpose
Hospitals catering to the unique needs of international patients often make substantial investments in their international program. Research has yet to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of establishing these programs. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the economic benefits and costs of international patient programs and evaluate the ROI of international patients for US hospitals by program maturity and size.
Design/methodology/approach
Operational information about 29 health systems with international patient programs in the USA was obtained from the US Cooperative for International Patient Programs (USCIPP) Annual Benchmarking Survey. A Spearman correlation coefficient was used to test the association between international program investments and revenue. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to test whether ROI differs significantly by program maturity and size.
Findings
It was found that 14 (48.3 per cent) international programs were established and 10 (34.5 per cent) programs were large in size. The median estimated organizational total gross revenue less operating expense for all programs was positive ($15.6m). Total gross revenue less operating expense was higher for large programs ($105.6m) than for small programs ($9.2m) (p < 0.001) and higher for established programs ($40.2m) than for new programs ($8.5m) (p < 0.001).
Originality/value
The results suggest that hospital investment in international programs yields substantial returns for the health systems studied. New programs rely on staff from other areas of the organization while developing operational processes and relationships with providers and payers abroad. Examining the ROI can help hospitals develop a business case for an international program and understand any economies of scale from increased investment.
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Andrew N. Garman and Tricia J. Johnson
Interest has grown among U.S. academic medical centers in developing international benchmarks for excellence in process and outcomes. Drivers behind this trend, as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
Interest has grown among U.S. academic medical centers in developing international benchmarks for excellence in process and outcomes. Drivers behind this trend, as well as barriers to the development of useful benchmarks, are explored in this invited commentary.
Design/methodology/approach
The commentary is based on the authors’ conversations with members of the U.S. Cooperative for International Patient Programs as well as the University Healthsystem Consortium (UHC).
Findings
Six key themes are summarized in this commentary, including four key drivers and two barriers.
Originality/value
The practice-based perspectives this commentary summarizes provide a useful starting point for researchers and practitioners interested in establishing international comparison with the United States.
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Tricia Johnson and Julianne Attmann
The purpose of the present study is to investigate compulsive consumption within a product specific context (compulsive buying of clothing) using a hierarchical model adapted from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study is to investigate compulsive consumption within a product specific context (compulsive buying of clothing) using a hierarchical model adapted from Mowen and Spears.
Design/methodology/approach
Previous researchers found that compulsive buyers tend to be young females who purchase clothing. Edwards' general compulsive buying scale was modified to measure compulsive clothing buying. The scale was then pre‐tested for reliability and validity. Following the pre‐test, data were collected from 228 undergraduate females to assess the relationships between compulsive clothing buying and several variables previously found to be associated with general compulsive buying: neuroticism, materialism, and fashion interest.
Findings
Path analysis results revealed significant relationships between neuroticism and materialism, neuroticism and compulsive clothing buying, materialism and fashion interest, and fashion interest and compulsive clothing buying. The path between materialism and compulsive clothing buying was not significant.
Research limitations/implications
The present study examined the compulsive buying of a specific product, therefore it may be valuable to study other populations to determine whether young female compulsive clothing buyers continue the behavior as they age, or potentially, begin compulsively buying products other than clothing.
Originality/value
This is the first known study to examine compulsive buying in a product specific context.
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Julianne Trautmann and Tricia Widner Johnson
The purpose of this research is to determine if bulimic behaviors and high levels of neuroticism lead to compulsive clothing buying. Female students from a large midwestern…
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to determine if bulimic behaviors and high levels of neuroticism lead to compulsive clothing buying. Female students from a large midwestern university in the United States were administered a Compulsive Clothing Buying scale, the binging/control subscale of the BULIT-R, and the NEO-FFI personality questionnaire. Using Amos 6.0, a path analysis indicated that neuroticism significantly predicted binging behaviors, and binging tendencies significantly predicted compulsive clothing buying. Neuroticism was not found to be related to compulsive clothing buying directly. Findings may suggest that appearance and appearance-related products are of utmost importance to female consumers who engage in compulsive consumption behaviors (i.e., binging or compulsive buying).
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This study investigates personality facets and demographics as predictors of the following fashion adoption categories: fashion innovation, fashion opinion leadership, and fashion…
Abstract
This study investigates personality facets and demographics as predictors of the following fashion adoption categories: fashion innovation, fashion opinion leadership, and fashion opinion seeking. Everett Rogers’ ideal types and the Five Factor Model are the theoretical frameworks applied in the study. Data are collected via a mailed questionnaire returned by 285 participants in the United States. Regression results demonstrated that income is a significant positive predictor for fashion innovativeness.
Additional findings showed that gender as well as the personality facets of actions and achievement striving are significant predictors for fashion opinion leading. Age, gender, education, and the personality facet of deliberation are significant predictors for fashion opinion seeking. In the present study, there is no overlap among the variables found to be significant predictors of fashion innovation, fashion opinion leading, and fashion opinion seeking. The results imply that neither personality nor demographics are the common characteristics between any two of the three adoption categories. Implications for future research on fashion adoption categories are discussed.
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Tricia Widner Johnson and Sally K. Francis
Consumers become members of style tribes when a specific style of dress is adopted. Personality may be one variable related to consumers' personal style of dress. Students in a…
Abstract
Consumers become members of style tribes when a specific style of dress is adopted. Personality may be one variable related to consumers' personal style of dress. Students in a fashion trend analysis course identified and described eleven style tribes on a university campus in the United States. Eight of the eleven style tribe descriptions’ were associated with designer names, brands, and/or specific retailers. The style tribe data were used to develop a questionnaire for the present study.
Data were then collected from 277 undergraduate college students who completed two questionnaires: 1) the NEO PI-R, an instrument designed to measure the five personality factors of the Five Factor Model and 2) a questionnaire with eleven style tribe descriptions.
Data were analyzed using canonical correlation. The major finding from the present study was that although personality was related to dress style, subjects reportedly adopted multiple dress styles. The findings of this investigation have theoretical implications regarding the social/psychological aspects of appearance and dress, and the marketing and retailing of appearance management products associated with designer names, brands, and/or retailers.
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Tricia J. Johnson, Jaymie S. Youngquist, Andy N. Garman, Samuel Hohmann and Paola R. Cieslak
This paper aims to evaluate the potential of 24 country-level measures for predicting the number of outbound international medical travelers into the USA, including health and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the potential of 24 country-level measures for predicting the number of outbound international medical travelers into the USA, including health and healthcare system, economic, social and diplomatic and travel pattern factors. Medical travel is recognized as a growing global market and is an important subject of inquiry for US academic medical centers, hospitals and policy makers. Few data-driven studies exist to shed light on efficient and effective strategies for attracting international medical travelers.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of the 194 member and/or observer countries of the United Nations. Data for medical traveler volume into the USA between 2008 and 2010 were obtained from the USA Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, Survey of International Air Travelers. Data on country-level factors were collected from publicly available databases, including the United Nations, World Bank and World Health Organization. Linear regression models with a negative binomial distribution and log link function were fit to test the association between each independent variable and the number of inbound medical travelers to the USA.
Findings
Seven of the 24 country-level factors were significantly associated with the number of outbound medical travelers to the USA These factors included imports as a per cent of gross domestic product, trade in services as a per cent of gross domestic product, per cent of population living in urban areas, life expectancy, childhood mortality, incidence of tuberculosis and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus.
Practical implications
Results of this model provide evidence for a data-driven approach to strategic outreach and business development for hospitals and policy makers for attracting international patients to the USA for medical care.
Originality/value
The model developed in this paper can assist US hospitals in promoting their services to international patients as well as national efforts in identifying “high potential” medical travel markets. Other countries could also adapt this methodology for targeting the international patient market.
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Allie S. Grotts and Tricia Widner Johnson
This paper aims to examine a consumer segment, Millennial, and its status and conspicuous consumption tendencies. The current research was conducted to determine if handbags can…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine a consumer segment, Millennial, and its status and conspicuous consumption tendencies. The current research was conducted to determine if handbags can be used as a symbolic representation of status.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 598 females participated in this study through an electronically administered questionnaire. Eastman, Goldsmith, and Flynn's Status Consumption Scale was altered with permission and used to test and measure the status consumption of handbags.
Findings
The research findings indicated that handbags are being used in the process of status consumption and suggested characteristics of female Millennial consumers who are likely to use this process.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to 18‐25 year old females in the United States, at a Midwestern university and cannot be generalized to other nationalities or age cohorts. The findings in this study are valuable in adding to the literature on status consumption by examining a product domain not previously studied for its ability to convey status and facilitate a complete self.
Practical implications
The findings are valuable to marketers because defining traits of Millennial consumers, a unique target market, have been discovered and proper marketing tactics may be deployed with the use of these results in the marketplace.
Originality/value
This paper fills a gap in the literature by examining handbags, which have not previously been researched for their status and conspicuous consumption abilities in an appropriate sample of college Millennial aged females.