In the age of the Internet, it is easy and convenient for patients to search General Practitioners (GP) information from the internet. Yet, it may result in information overload to patients, as the Internet’s information is generally disorganised, and overly used technical language uses up too much of patients’ time, causing them to feel stressed and this can affect their decision-making. The problem of information overload among patients is bound to become of great importance in the healthcare marketplace, particularly in the context of the clinical environment. This research proposes that the amount of online GP information related to the patients decision making on choice of GP. These effects are mediated by patient perceptions of the quality of GPs in relation to the services they provide. While patient decision making has been investigated in health care settings, the focus has been limited to using quantitative scales. This research aims to use triangulation and mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) of data collection approach to exploring hypotheses relating to patient decision making to engage in information overload. These hypotheses will be tested based on analysis of triangulation of data collection. This research conducts a survey among internet users and New Zealand healthcare websites. This study is expected to provide new insights for the healthcare marketplace in order to provide better website information service quality.

T This study adopted the concept and service ecosystem of the SDL and unique characteristics of agritourism to explore the nature and scope of value co-creation in a farming tourism context. Based on four farmers’ and 80 tourists’ interview results, he nature of value co-creation in agritourism defined as: a work farm background to integrate resources of all sorts, creating a variety of experiential activities related to agricultural production and entertainment. With regarding to the scope of value co-creation in agritourism, the farm and visitors both need to invest resources in agritourism activities, engaging in an exchange of value with the farms. The farm needs to cooperate with different stakeholders (employee, suppliers and local communities) to design its tourism service activities in service preparation stage. The visitor was influenced by personal tourism motivation, relatives/friends, and other visitors, all of which determine their degree of participation in agritourism activities in service participation stage. In post-service stage, the tourists will have positive or negative response (e.g., revisit intention).

The study examined perceptions of products and found that target types and product knowledge were important variables. When a product is novel, perceivers are susceptible to the context and this could lead them to a perceptual assimilation effect. However, when a product is familiar, perceivers are not susceptible to the context, and they are able to process information in detail, which easily leads them to a perceptual contrast effect. In this study, the study employed two response-scales (adjective-anchor and forced-anchor) as the evaluative scales of perceivers, and we also found that the forced anchor scales could diminish the possibility of a perceptual contrast effect. Consequently, marketing practitioners could apply the forced anchor scales to comparative advertising when a new product enters the market in order to lead consumers to a perceptual assimilation effect.