Can Pokémon GO catch brands? The fit effect of game characters and brands on efficacy of brand communications

Given the recent popularity of augmented reality (AR) games, such as Pokémon GO, this study explores the congruence effect of game characters and brands on brand evaluations and the underlying mechanisms of the effect. Prior gaming experience and motivations are taken into account. An experiment reveals that inexperienced gamers are likely to have more favorable evaluations of the target brands when the images of game characters match the brand images, whereas these effects disappear for experienced gamers. Furthermore, the research demonstrates that experienced gamers are more likely to hold game-specific motivations than the inexperienced, while inexperienced gamers are motivated more by social interaction for playing AR games. Lastly, a mediation analysis reveals that social interaction-related motivation mediates inexperienced gamers’ preference of character–brand congruence. This study sheds light upon how AR games can be utilized by brand communicators.     

中学生物实验现状的调查与分析

《生物课程标准》的颁布以及现代社会的发展要求,对实验提出了更高的要求和标准。那么当前的中学生物实验又是一个什么状况呢?为此笔者开展了一系列实际情况调查。     

大学数学素质拓展课程的教学实践

本文结合昆明理工大学实际,探讨了在新的时代要求下为高校非数学专业学生开设数学拓展课程的必要性,并提出了相关的理论依据。同时,本文在已开设拓展课程的基础上总结了取得的成绩和存在的不足,为今后课程设置及教学的进一步完善提出了相关建议。     

实践论下的理论与实验相融合模式研究——以《多传感器信息融合技术》课程为例

基于多媒体技术开发了多传感器信息融合实验平台,利用该平台将理论与实验在时间和空间上做到真正的融合。该平台集多源信息融合领域的新理论和新算法于一体,便于学生全面、系统的学习和实践。实践表明:通过丰富而生动的实验,学生对繁杂而艰深的理论知识获得了直接、客观而形象的认识,理论与实验的融合激发了学生们的学习热情和积极性,提高了科技创新能力。     

基于改进Dijkstra算法的最短路算法

Dijkstra算法是求解最短路径问题的经典算法。在现如今的城市交通网络中,经常需要寻求两个地点之间的最短距离,减少运输时间。本文将Dijkstra算法与C语言相结合,对Dijkstra算法进行改进,根据实际网络图的情况,建立了相应的数学模型,运用C语言编程,在给定的网络图中,实现了只需确定起始点和终点,就可以直接输出最短路径和最短距离的功能。在有多个相同最短路径的情况下,会将多个最短路径一起输出,在搜索到终点时,立即跳出,结束循环。在一般情况下,无需对所有点进行迭代,提高了效率。这种方法可以应用到现在的物流运输中,以此来节约时间,降低成本。     

Food values and heterogeneous consumer responses to nanotechnology

Agricultural applications of nanotechnology are at a relatively early stage and little is known about consumer responses to the technology. Canadian consumer responses to food nanotechnology are examined through the lens of the Food Value Scale. Data from a survey of Canadian consumers are used to evaluate the relative importance of eleven food values to food purchase decisions. We find that taste, safety, nutrition, and price are among the most important food values to Canadians, however, consumers exhibit considerable heterogeneity with respect to the priority placed on these values. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) explores the effect of food values on choice behavior. The DCE is positioned as a sliced apple product with non-browning and antioxidant-enhanced features introduced through the use of nanocoating or a conventional coating method. Random parameters logit (RPL) and latent class models (LCM) confirm the existence of significant preference heterogeneity. The LCM identifies three classes of consumers: “supporters,” “doubters,” and “opponents” who differ in their reaction to nanotechnology and in the relative importance placed on food values such as naturalness, novelty, and convenience. The analysis shows that food values provide additional insights into consumers’ food choices and their attitudes toward novel food technologies.     

Does the spatial representation affect criteria weights in environmental decision-making? Insights from a behavioral experiment

The need and interest to consider cognitive and motivational biases has been recognized in different disciplines (e.g. economics, decision theory, risk analysis) and has recently reached environmental decision-making. Within this domain, the intrinsic presence of a spatial dimension of both alternatives and criteria calls for the use of maps throughout the decision-making process to properly represent the spatial distribution of the features under analysis. This makes spatial Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) a particularly interesting domain to explore new dimensions of cognitive biases. This study proposes a behavioral experiment aimed at discovering to what extent the spatial visualization (i.e. maps) of criteria versus the non-spatial one (i.e. tables) can bias the weight elicitation phase of a spatial MCDA process. The experiment simulates a very common analysis in environmental and land use planning: land suitability analysis. Our findings show that there are significant consequences on how important we perceive a certain criterion to be, depending on whether it is represented as a map or as a table among a mix of maps and tables. Indeed, the map representation of the same criterion leads to higher weights attributed to that criterion compared to the table representation. Visualizing the same information as a map or as a table, although technically equivalent, is thus not psychologically equivalent for Decision Makers. The results of this experiment are expected to have implications for spatial decision-making processes, by generating better awareness on the impacts of map-mediated land suitability analysis.     

Design of Digital Agricultural Extension Tools: Perspectives from Extension Agents in Nigeria

Given the marked heterogeneous conditions in smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a growing policy interest in site-specific extension advice and the use of digital extension tools to provide site-specific information. Empirical ex-ante studies on the design of digital extension tools and their use are rare. Using data from a choice experiment in Nigeria, we elicit and analyze the preferences of extension agents for major design features of ICT-enabled decision support tools (DSTs) aimed at site-specific nutrient management extension advice. We estimate different models, including mixed logit, latent class and attribute non-attendance models. We find that extension agents are generally willing to use such DSTs and prefer a DST with a more user-friendly interface that requires less time to generate results. We also find that preferences are heterogeneous: some extension agents care more about the effectiveness-related features of DSTs, such as information accuracy and level of detail, while others prioritise practical features, such as tool platform, language and interface ease-of-use. Recognising and accommodating such preference differences may facilitate the adoption of DSTs by extension agents and thus enhance the scope for such tools to impact the agricultural production decisions of farmers.     

纵向分离能否提高企业全要素生产率?——基于电力产业"厂网分开"的研究

中国电力行业一直延续纵向分离的改革路径，继发电环节从一体化垄断结构中分离之后，2015年新一轮的电力体制改革又提出输配售电业务分离、推进电力市场化交易的目标。不同纵向结构下，电力产业链上下游企业的博弈均衡显示纵向分离改革可提高上游发电环节的竞争性，减少效率损失。进一步基于微观发电企业数据，通过双重差分及倾向得分匹配模型考察“厂网分开”这一准自然实验的效果，研究结果显示，纵向分离改革显著提升了发电企业的效率。现阶段应继续推进输配售分离改革，通过供给侧和需求侧的互动响应使上游发电环节的效率收益纵向传递，提高消费者福利。     

Fiscal rules and budget forecast errors of Italian municipalities

We study the impact of the domestic stability pact on the accuracy of budget forecasts of Italian municipalities. Identification of the causal effect exploits a quasi-natural experiment generated by the removal in 2001 of the fiscal restraints on budget decisions for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants and by stricter budgetary restrictions and severe penalties for noncompliers in 2002. We find that relaxing fiscal rules had a sizeable impact on budget forecast errors, especially in 2002. In fact, revenue (expenditure) forecast errors for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants became 26% (22%) larger than in the past.