Conceptualizing the brand in social media community: The five sources model

The emergence of social media is challenging the ways that marketing academics and practitioners conceptualize and manage brands. This research explores the consumers׳ specific motivations for the purpose and structure of the consumption of brands in social media community. Keeping the evolving economic relevance of social consumption in mind, the resulting conceptual model has been designed to give a better understanding of the unique branding opportunities and relationships that social media present to brand managers. The research employs a triangulated method that includes a social media-based Facebook focus group and face-to-face interviews. The findings suggest that consumers expect some very specific two-way interactions with brands and that social media may be the only way to effectively deliver these demands. This study identifies five core drivers of brand consumption in a social media community articulated in the Five Sources Model: functional, emotional, self-oriented, social and relational. These core drivers represent unique opportunities for brands to enhance their relationships with their customers and to increase the likelihood of an active and beneficial online community built around their brands. Future research implications are discussed.     

Total Factor Productivity and Energy Intensity: An Empirical Study of China’s Cement Industry

China is the largest cement producer and consumer in the world. The cement industry’s rapid growth has led to a large demand of energy. This study reviews China’s cement industry in terms of energy intensity and examines the effects of technological progress on energy intensity. It also discusses the feasibility of achieving China’s energy reduction targets. We employ the Granger causality test and find that the total factor productivity or technological progress causes the energy intensity of the cement industry. Impulse responses analysis also proves that in the long run the technological change contributes to the decline in energy intensity of cement production.     

Fear of climate change consequences and predictors of intentions to alter meat consumption

Reducing or altering meat consumption has the potential to significantly lower the impact humans have on climate change. Consumers, however, are unlikely to break their food habits unless they are aware of the problem and motivated by the solutions. Fear appeals are often used to overcome this, however, their effectiveness in the context of meat reduction and climate change is unclear. Given the widespread use of fear appeals in information policy, it is important to understand more. The aim of this study was to explore fear—or more specifically—the danger control process in a climate change—food context in order to understand the factors which motivate consumers to reduce or alter their meat consumption. Using a stratified random sample of 222 respondents in Southern Sweden, we develop a model for predicting intentions to adopt specific and general actions to reduce or alter meat consumption. Our results suggest that the general key to motivating consumers is through increasing their self-efficacy towards adopting meat alternatives and educating them on the importance their actions have in reducing the threat. We also found that appraising the threat to self (or those close) was significant, but surprisingly the effect size was greater when the threat concerned others (e.g. others in impoverished nations, animals).     

Opportunity cost of water allocation to afforestation rather than conservation of natural vegetation in China

Estimation of ecosystem service values is a hot area of research in ecological conservation and economics. However, the costs of these outputs are largely unknown. In this paper, we estimated the opportunity cost of water allocated to afforestation projects through mathematical modeling based on statistical data for all of China to provide support for restoration planning based on a fuller consideration of the true costs. To guide future ecological conservation and environmental policy development, we illustrate a neglected concept (ecosystem service costs) and use this concept to compare the ecological services provided by ecological restoration based on afforestation with those of restoration based on the conservation of natural vegetation using data obtained since 1949 in China. The results showed that afforestation and natural vegetation create annual costs related to use of the available water resources equal to 4800 and 3700 RMB ha⁻¹, respectively, representing a water opportunity cost of 1100 RMB ha⁻¹ for afforestation. This illustrates the rule that “there is no free lunch” for any service, including ecosystem services. Therefore, to support the development of more effective and sustainable environmental restoration policy, it will be necessary to evaluate the associated opportunity costs.     

On the role of the utility function in the estimation of preference parameters

Modern economic theory summarizes the main characteristics of individual preferences through a definite set of parameters: risk aversion, prudence, and the elasticity of intertemporal substitution. Despite their importance, the results of the literature devoted to the parameters’ estimation are controversial. This paper highlights the neglected role that may have been played by the constraints that the quantitative definition of the parameters and the utility functions employed impose on the estimation. A number of simulation exercises are presented, which show that the same saving behaviour can be associated with quite different values of the parameters depending on the utility function adopted.     

食物消费结构升级对农业碳排放的动态影响机制研究

[目的]探寻主要食物消费结构与农业碳排放之间的动态关联机制。[方法]基于1990—2015年面板数据,通过VAR模型进行研究。[结果]结果显示食物消费结构升级与农业碳排放确实有着一定的关联性,且存在一定的滞后性,但其影响程度和方向因食物种类而异。[结论](1)从影响方向看,农业碳排放对肉禽类、奶类等动物性食物消费和粮食、蔬菜、食用植物油等植物性食物消费变动的冲击响应方向基本相反,这主要是由动物性食物和植物性食物的替代性导致;农业碳排放对食物消费变化冲击的响应方向呈正负交替变化,且随着时间的推移而趋于平缓,主要是由于农产品供求的收敛型"蛛网"变动特点引起。(2)从响应时间看,农业碳排放变动对植物性食物消费冲击响应更为迅速,主要是由于动物类食物调整生产周期明显长于植物类食物产品;以植物性食物消费代替动物性食物消费的方式在短期内(3～4年以内)确实可以一定程度上降低碳排放,但是长期看来效果并不明显;所有食物消费变动对农业碳排放的冲击效应在8～9期以后均逐渐消失,说明食物消费结构的变动对农业碳排放的影响持久,农业碳减排任务不可能在短期内一蹴而就,而需要长期而持续的努力。(3)从影响程度看,方差分解结果表明,对农业碳排放变动的影响贡献最大的是其自身,说明农业碳排放基数庞大,减排工作任务艰巨,尽管肉禽类食物消费导致的碳排放量比重较大,但研究期间农业碳排放变动的并不是主要由这类食物消费的变化导致,而是由植物性食物消费变化导致。研究结果为在满足居民食物消费需求的前提下降低农业碳排放、发展低碳农业提供一定的依据。     

城镇化进程中水资源消耗的影响因素研究

在"多项连乘和加总"及向量扩展形式的LMDI模型基础上,构建城镇化进程中人口-居民消费-用水强度的分解框架,分析2003—2016年间水资源消耗的影响因素。研究表明:人口规模扩大和人口城镇化对用水量增长均为正向促进作用,且前者驱动力强于后者;居民消费水平提升是拉动用水量增长的主导因素,而居民消费结构优化升级和居民消费率上升均有效抑制了水资源的消耗,且前者更为显著;用水量的下降主要得益于产业技术进步,生活用水量的增长主要源于生活强度效应。进一步指出未来应合理控制我国人口规模和人口流动,加速居民消费结构的优化升级,注重强化产业技术创新,深挖农业节水潜力,提升居民消费率以实现既定经济规模下的相对节水。     

The behavioural intentions of specialty coffee consumers in South Africa

More than 1.6 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide on a daily basis. South Africa is rapidly adapting to worldwide trends with speciality coffee consumption on the rise, with South Africa recently having been recognised as a key player in the speciality coffee industry. Emerging market trends in speciality coffee consumption have resulted in a number of changes in consumption patterns, preferences and consumer behaviour. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioural intention of speciality coffee consumers in South Africa, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The data were gathered from a non‐probability sample of 327 respondents, who were selected through a self‐completion online questionnaire. The results indicate that males consume more speciality coffee than females. The majority of respondents consume speciality coffee more than once a day, and foam cappuccinos are consumed most regularly. The results of the stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrate the utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a conceptual framework for predicting the behavioural intention of speciality coffee consumers. The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are important predictors of behavioural intention. Furthermore, perceived behavioural control is the most important factor influencing speciality coffee consumption, and the most influential of the direct measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. With the current rise in speciality coffee consumption among South Africans, the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework contributes to understanding those factors which influence regular speciality coffee consumption. It is recommended that marketers and practitioners adapt their offerings to appeal to the specific needs of the growing speciality coffee market in South Africa.     

跨越“中等收入陷阱”的消费率变化轨迹研究--基于东亚、拉美部分国家的启示

2013年我国人均GDP达到6900美元，标志着我国已居于“上中等收入”国家行列，正面临“中等收入陷阱”的威胁。本文基于日本、韩国、巴西和阿根廷的发展历程，考察了“中等收入陷阱”区间下消费率的变化轨迹，认为成功跨越“中等收入陷阱”的消费率特征是：消费率走势呈U型特征，由波动性变化演变为平稳性运行，并大致在人均GDP4000美元形成“消费率拐点”。其中，收入因素对“消费率拐点”的培育与形成具有较大的制约作用。同时文章对比分析了低中等收入阶段我国消费率变化轨迹，认为我国在人均GDP4283美元水平下形成“消费率拐点”，但当前消费需求的充分释放仍面临较强的挑战，迫切需要相应的政策措施来强化“消费率拐点”的形成。