APPA

FACILITIES MANAGER MAY/JUNE 2017 25 environment, such as employees and visitors, influencing each in a unique way. e influence of environmental elements of the servicescape has been studied across service industries with a level of physi- cal complexity similar that to a college campus, such as casinos, golf courses, and restaurants. In each study, elements of the servicescape were found to influence attitudes and behaviors. One study in particular found that positive experiences with cleanliness (an example of an implicit communicator) led to approach behaviors such as increases in tip sizes in restaurants and repeat bookings for a taxi service. In sum, elements of the servicescape in a service firm have been found to contribute to differentiation, lead to positive choices by customers, and affect employee behaviors. UTILIZING THE MODEL Recent research conducted utilizing the servicescape model at the University of Hartford took this very approach to try and gain a better understanding of the scope of influence the physical facilities had on users, and attempted to identify which particu- lar elements were most influential. e study comprised nearly 900 volunteers drawn from the population of approximately 8,500 students (full-time, part-time, graduate and undergradu- ate), faculty (full-time and adjunct), staff, and administrators. Participants completed a researcher-developed, online ques- tionnaire asking them to rate their agreement with whether or not particular elements of the physical campus influenced their experiences. ose that completed the questionnaire were asked if they would be willing to take, then email a photo of a campus element that influenced their experiences. A subsample of that group were invited to take part in an individual interview to de- scribe their photo and discuss the specific influence that element had on them. In addition to the questionnaire responses, the data comprised over 60 photos and 20 interviews. e study results indicated that the campus's built environ- ment influenced a majority of the participants, which supported the findings in the previous research noted earlier. Specifically, interviewees talked about personal reactions (both positive and negative) to elements of the campus servicescape that ranged across emotional responses, cognitive responses, physiological responses, and outward behaviors. One participant noted that the condition of the campus lawns made her "happy," and another described feeling "comfortable and safe" because of the upkeep and appearance of the grounds.

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