INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9219046 Perceived structure of the environmental/conservation organization market Wright, Pamela A., Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1992 UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 PERCEIVED STRUCTURE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL/CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION MARKET DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Pamela A. Wright ***** The Ohio State University 1992 Dissertation Committee: Approved By Dr. Robert E. Roth Dr. Roger D. Blackwell j5m ~r Dr. Donald W. Floyd A dviser Dr. Gary W. Mullins Interdisciplinary Program Dr. Emmalou Norland ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Pursuing a one-of-a-kind Ph.D. program required an extraordinarily cooperative and team- oriented committee from inception through the completion of the dissertation. I was very fortunate to have the five most cooperative and professional faculty members who allowed me to work in an interdisciplinary fashion and pursue a path of my own choosing, at my own pace. Thanks to Dr. Robert Roth who, as chairman, kept me on track and was the architect for what would have otherwise been a hodge podge of educational explorations. Dr. Roth was able to understand my goals for this program and helped me plan and build an excellent educational opportunity. Thanks to Dr. Gary Mullins, a true Appalachian intellectual, for bringing me down from the Great White North, and providing me endless opportunities to experience and learn firsthand about the federal estate in the U.S. Gary has provided me with a host of funding and teaching opportunities, and has been a model of how to get things accomplished in academia. In addition, he has always been a source of information and guidance but most importantly, moral support and friendship. In the spirit of free trade, I hope we will continue to work and recreate together. Thanks to Dr. Roger Blackwell my marketing professor, for giving me an orientation sadly needed in our field. The courses I had with him were phenomenal and I appreciate his efforts to focus my interests through individual studies and special group project topics. Dr. Blackwell continues to challenge me to look at what things mean from both a theoretical and an applied perspective. Thanks to Dr. Emmalou Norland for turning me on to research and for providing me with the skills to do it, from instrument design, to explorations in strange statistical techniques, to 1 educational evaluation practices. Most of all, thank you Emmalou for being my personal role model, and for single-handedly proving that women CAN survive, prosper, and excel within an agricultural college. Special thanks to Dr. Donald Floyd, for always being there and challenging me to reach out and expand my thinking. Although our areas of focus and interest are somewhat different, he has the ability to think and work across disciplinary areas that I not only needed but enjoyed. In addition he provided me with a valuable chance to learn how to guide others through the research process. Most importantly, I thank Donald for his friendship and confidence in me as a researcher. Thanks must go to National Family Opinion, and specifically Dave Boutelle, for providing me with access to their panel of respondents. The instrument design assistance, speedy responses, and excellent quality of data has made this study possible. Extra special thanks to fellow student Tom Pierre for endless hours of data coding, library searches, and miscellaneous other errands. Most of all, however, thank you, Tom, for five years of wonderful friendship. Thanks to my fellow graduate students, to numerous to name, within the School of Natural Resources who generated ideas, reviewed instruments, and provided moral support throughout my education. In particular, thanks to Sue Thomas for the hours of data entry and Mark McLeod for his insight, proding, and friendship. Finally, to my husband, Dr. John Hanna, thanks for the day to day menial tasks including data coding, and proofreading; but especially for his guidance, wisdom, support, and love that helped me have the endurance to stick to my studies and have the confidence to pursue my goals. iii VITA October 22,1964 .................................................................... Born — Bracebridge, Ontario 1987 ......................................................................................... B.S. — Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario 1987 ......................................................................................... H.B.O.R. — Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario 1989 ......................................................................................... M.S. — Parks and Recreation Planning, The Ohio State University 1992—Present ........................................................................ Assistant Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia PUBLICATIONS Wright, Pamela A., and Donald W. Floyd. Merging Research and Environmental Education — Environmental Knowledge Among College Students. Tournal of Environmental Education [in review]. W right, Pamela A., and Donald W. Floyd. 1990. Recruiting Natural Resource Students — Some Pertinent Gender and Racial Differences at Ohio State University. Women in N atural Resources. Vol. 12(2):31-34. Wright, Pamela A., Gary W. Mullins, and Michael Watson. 1989. Market Segmentation of Interpretive Participants to National Park Service Sites. Research in Interpretation. Vol. 4(2):27-34. Hanna, John W., and Pamela A. Wright. 1987. Self-Guided Trail Analysis. Outdoor Recreation Research journal. Vol. 1(1). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field .Interdisciplinary Program Natural Resource Communications M arketing TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................i i VITA .................................................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................................v ii LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Nature of the Problem ................................................................................................ 1 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................11 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 11 Status of Research in the Field ................................................................................ 12 Definitions of Terms ..................................................................................................... 13 Limitations of Study ...................................................................................................17 Delimitations of Study ...............................................................................................17 Basic Assumptions ........................................................................................................17 II. LITERATURE REVIEW Interest Group Theory and Voluntary Associations ..............................................19 Characteristics of Environmentalists ..................................................................... .27 Consumer Behavior and Decision Making ..............................................................34 Perceptual Mapping Methods ...................................................................................42 Market Segmentation ................................................................................................. 47 Sum m ary ......................................................................................................................