GRAYSON BEAU HUBER: Atmosphericity as a Marketing Tool: The Impact of Student Union Dining Atmosphere and Service on Student Attitudes and Actions. This survey asked questions relating to students' views on various aspects of the Student Union dining hall before and after the renovation. In general, students felt that many aspects of the Student Union needed to be improved after the renovation.
The qualitative analysis showed that the students enjoy the food supplier's options, decor and visual appeal of the renovated Student Union. Overall, the Student Union at the University of Mississippi has improved in the eyes of its students through the renovation process. Some aspects still need attention and improvement, but the overall evaluation of the Student Union gave positive results.
This thesis research is about the food service experience of the University of Mississippi Student Union comparing the New Union Renovation (NUR) to the Old Union (OU). By creating a positive atmosphere, the Student Union can influence the opinions and attitudes of students and prospective students.
Literature Review
ATMOSPHERICS
The lighting is also more natural in NUR due to the large open windows in the food area. With tables occupied for longer, this can lead to longer wait times for potential customers walking in the door. However, this appeared to be insignificant in the number of customers who left before being seated (Milliman, 1986).
Noise levels in restaurants play an important role in the environment, which influences consumers' attitudes and behavior (Han, 2009). Third, the similarity of the odor to the situation or environment is the final element of the sense of smell (Bone, 1999). With this change, the Student Union is trying to create a more positive atmosphere among consumers.
Within this study, I aim to see if tactile components of NUR are consistent with student expectations. In turn, emotional responses to the overall environment lead to either positive or negative future behavioral and patronage intentions.
BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Researchers and marketers want to know the likelihood of returning patronage and positive word of mouth. People have a spectrum of two possible and opposite responses to an environment: attraction or avoidance (Bitner, 1992). These two opposite reactions are the basis for measuring consumers' likelihood of returning to a restaurant in the future.
Positive responses to restaurant environments lead to higher rates of return patronage and positive word of mouth. According to Litvin (2008), interpersonal influence and word of mouth are important in consumers' decision of where to make a purchase. Therefore, the increased likelihood of positive word of mouth means more customers and more sales in the future.
By analyzing these two components of behavioral intentions, marketers can visualize which decisions have a positive or negative effect.
DELIVERY OF SERVICE
Purpose of Study
I wanted to see how research on atmosphere, service, and behavioral intentions might apply to campus dining atmosphere. The Student Union was recently renovated with a new interior and some new food vendors. Specifically, I was interested in how NUR's atmosphere, food options, and service delivery affect students' feelings about their dining experiences and behaviors compared to OU.
Within this analysis, I was interested in the question of whether the NUR would be viewed more favorably after the renovation. During the research that led to this study, it was clear that atmosphere and service play a prominent role in customer satisfaction and opinions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of atmosphere and service on students' perception of NUR and OU.
The study will also test any differences in perceptions of specific providers between the NUR and OU. Therefore, this study will capture students' intentions to spread and revisit positive word of mouth.
Research Objectives
By comparing student attitudes to the same vendors at NUR and OU, I can identify any potential variance. A key objective to measure the success of NUR is future student patronage intentions. This identifies how well the Student Union renovations have improved future student action.
Student opinions on what they do and don't like about NUR and OU are incredibly valuable.
Methodology
Study Protocol
Sample Characteristics
Analysis of Data
Results
To investigate this, a regression analysis was performed with the behavioral intentions against each of the six NUR clusters. The survey also sought students' comments and opinions on feelings and attitudes towards both NUR and OU. While it was clear from the qualitative discussion that students loved the Subway, this was not necessarily the case in the quantitative analysis.
However, I wasn't able to fully understand what made Subway such a popular choice in this part of the survey. Of the positive comments about seating, many were specific to the stands in OU. This leads us to ask whether students have more positive things to say about NUR.
It is quite impressive that almost half of the respondents all indicated a positive feeling towards the updated list of suppliers. When compared to the dislikes students had about the OU, it is encouraging to see that some of the most common negatives of the OU have been moved into the positive category for the NUR. The renovation succeeded in promoting a fresh look, and many of the comments regarding the look and layout mentioned how.
Both of these were factors most likely due to the age of the building, which gives more reason for a major renovation. By analyzing students' comments about what they don't like about NUR, I can see if some aspects of OU have really improved. First, over a fifth of respondents said long queues were a major issue at NUR (43/195 comments).
However, this may simply be because there was a narrower range of potential complaints about NUR. Regarding complaints about long queues, many were of course frustrated by the waiting time, but they were also upset by the structure of the queues. Additionally, this could remove some of the crowded and cluttered feeling from the dining area.
Similarly, many students noted frustration with navigating in and out of NUR (10/195 comments). This is largely due to the construction activity in the opposite half of the Student Union, which affects the students' routes around the building.
Post Hoc Tests and Analysis
Implications for NUR and Moving Forward
Limitations of the Study
I would suggest that a longitudinal study be conducted to see how the responses might change after the rest of the Students' Union has finished. After completing this process, there are a few aspects of the study that may have been of interest but were not included in this specific study. This study has implications for the future development of the Student Union at the University of Mississippi.
Overall, the students demonstrated that they could see most of the atmospheric features of NUR better than OU. The roles of physical environment, price perception and customer satisfaction in determining customer loyalty in the hospitality industry. The combined effects of physical environment and employee behavior on customer perceptions of restaurant service quality.
This section of the survey seeks your opinions based on the Union's dining options in fall 2017. Please answer the questions based on your experience visiting the newly renovated branch of the Union.
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