Stated preference models of contact decision behavior in academia

A general framework is presented for communication behavior where contact decisions play an important role. The contact decision component of the conceptual framework is analyzed in detail and empirically tested using stated preference models of contact decision behavior. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in six universities representing classical schools, business schools, and technological schools in Austria and Switzerland. The empirical results indicate the importance of the contact decision context variables in general, and in particular the perceived attractiveness of specific contact places in different cultural regions, cost, and language skills of the potential contact partner.