Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University
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Initial Reactions: Rethinking the Efficacy of Current Contractual Practies for Consumer Protection
Get PDFTo protect consumers from unfair contracts, legislatures have implemented measures requiring consumers to signal specific agreement to crucial clauses. One such common practice is requiring consumers to initial specific provisions within contracts. This dissertation investigates the efficacy of initialing and other secondary tasks in promoting consumer understanding and memory of contractual information. Through a series of three experimental studies, participants engaged in tasks involving initialing, semantic processing, or irrelevant letter-classification tasks while processing contract information. Contrary to predictions, the findings failed to show that initialing or other secondary tasks significantly improved consumer’s reported memory or understanding of contract terms, compared to scenarios without such tasks. Response time analyses across studies further indicated that while certain tasks may prolong cognitive processing, they did not yield statistically significant improvements in contract understanding. The failure to find evidence for the practical utility of current contractual practices challenges current legally-based assumptions, and raises questions about whether initialing may represent a procedural formality rather than a meaningful safeguard.
These findings, viewed through the lens of Dual Process Theory and task-switching paradigms, may provide insight into the cognitive demands imposed by secondary tasks, and the possibility that they may undercut the intended benefits of initialing in enhancing consumer protection. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of their potential impact on consumer protection law and the need for reevaluating traditional practices in contract formation to better align with principles of consumer empowerment and legal clarity
Protecting Your Tail from Correlation Risk
Get PDFThis research examines the concept that hedge funds generally offer diversification. The results from 26 years of monthly data on equity and hedge fund indices find that hedge fund strategies are heterogeneous as they offer varying benefits to investors. Some hedge fund strategies are highly correlated to equities and may offer an extension of a portfolio’s equity exposure during typical market environments; however, they may increase correlation risk and concentration risk during stressed market environments. Other strategies may provide portfolio diversification to reduce a portfolio’s correlation risk. This research suggests a framework to assist investors in developing asset allocation decisions based on the portfolio’s goals or mandates relative to correlation risk. This study is robust, temporal, and event-agnostic
Event Technology and Attendee Experience: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda
Get PDFThe events industry is experiencing growth, both as a sector of the tourism industry and in the technology that impacts the attendee experience during an event. While research into event-related technologies is robust, there is not much research on the specific roles that technology can play in facilitating attendees’ experiences at an event. This study proposes to use the PRISMA approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of technology-enabled experiences within the context of events. Results will drive future research in this area of study
Attitudes and Perceptions of Adoption of Amusement Park Mobile Applications
Get PDFMany amusement parks across the US have developed mobile applications. Considering the potential business impact of mobile applications, it is important to understand amusement park visitors’ perceptions and attitudes toward mobile applications. This study proposes a conceptual model that incorporates variables from the technology acceptance model, the task-technology fit theory, and the theory of planned behavior. These variables will be used to investigate the attitudes, perceptions, and behavioral intentions of amusement park visitors. Structural Equation Modeling will be utilized to test the conceptual model. This study can provide amusement park operators with guidance for the improvement and efficiency of mobile applications and suggest strategies for operators to stimulate amusement park mobile application (APMA) adoption
Vincentian Formation in Africa for Missionary Preaching in the Footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul
Get PDFVincent de Paul was deeply concerned with the proper preparation of the clergy so that the poor could be evangelized. Linus Umoren outlines Vincent\u27s method of preaching and the challenges the Church faced in reforming the clergy during the Counter-Reformation. Many of today’s new priests, including Vincentians, are coming from Africa. It is therefore necessary to develop a formation program that is uniquely suited to the African cultural context. Because of colonialism, the Church in Africa still needs to develop its own theological perspective instead of the one that had been brought to it by Europeans. It also faces several crises, some that are common to the worldwide Church and some that are unique to Africa. Formation programs in African countries must take these complexities into account. Umoren suggests some ways in which the traditional Vincentian approach to preaching can help meet the pastoral demands of modern African life
