Identifying use and non-use values of animal welfare: Evidence from Swedish dairy agriculture

In this study, we sought to identify the use and non-use values that underlie farmers’ decision making with respect to animal welfare, based on in-depth interviews with 50 dairy farmers in Sweden. We identified use values related to: being able to continue the business, earning a living from the business, not being tied to the farm (i.e. having time available for other things), product quality, and work environment. We also identified non-use values related to avoidance of suffering, being able to further improve the welfare of dairy cows, the dairy farmer feeling good him/herself, ethical considerations, a feeling of doing the right thing, and animals eating properly (i.e. functioning as dairy cows should). Understanding the values underlying dairy farmers’ decision making with respect to animal welfare is an important step in understanding why these farmers work with animal welfare. The results are useful in improving communications from authorities and farm advisors to farmers, as a strategy to gain better acceptance for improved animal welfare standards; in designing product certification schemes in the food industry; and in communicating to the public the values influencing production of dairy products.     

On the role of empirical industrial organization in competition policy

In this paper I consider the role of empirical industrial organization (IO) in competition policy. In particular, I consider the effect of the institutional setting in which competition policy is developed on the diffusion of ideas and techniques emerging from the empirical IO literature. In doing so my aims are two fold. First, I aim to understand the areas of competition policy most likely to provide fertile ground for future work, and those which are less likely to have an impact. And second, I hope to make a small step towards ensuring that the important potential synergies between competition policy and empirical IO are more fully developed — to the benefit of both communities and, more importantly, the public. This paper necessarily draws heavily on my experience in the UK, but many remarks may resonate more generally.     

需求量速增的抗肿瘤药物

目的了解近年来上海市医院抗肿瘤药物的临床应用,为生产、营销和使用等部门提供参考.方法上海市样本医院提供2004～2006年用药数据,结合临床应用进行分析。结果抗肿瘤药物需求量增长迅速,常用品种有奥沙利铂、紫杉醇、紫杉特尔、卡培他滨、吉西他滨、表柔比星、长春瑞宾等.结论高效低毒的抗肿瘤药物需求量速增,前景看好。     

What will be the possible barriers to consumers’ adoption of smart home services?

Recently, smart home services have come to the forefront as part of the growing market for the “Internet of Things.” Since these smart home services were introduced, they have been expected to grow rapidly. However, contrary to optimistic expectations for future market growth, the smart home market has appeared to hit a roadblock and remains at an early market stage. This study attempts to identify the possible barriers that consumers perceive when they are introduced to smart home services. Based on the resistance theory and perceived risk model, we investigate the relationship between perceived risk and resistance to smart home services, using technological uncertainty and service intangibility as the antecedents of perceived risk. Dividing perceived risk into four dimensions—performance risk, financial risk, privacy risk, and psychological risk—the empirical results show that these four risk types are affected by technology uncertainty and service intangibility, and the perceived risks, except for financial risk, have positive effects on the resistance to smart home services. When the survey respondents are divided into two types, postponers and rejecters, the result of postponers is similar with that of total sample, except that privacy risk is unimportant to postponers, and the result of rejecter cannot satisfy the recommended model fit.     

Environment-strategy relationship and its performance implications: An empirical study of the chinese electronics industry

This study examined the strategy-environment-performance paradigm in a centrally plannedeconomy (People's Republic of China) in transition to a more market-driven economy. Based on a survey of top Chinese managers in the electronics industry, it was found that during this course of transformation, firms exhibited distinctive strategies despite a long tradition of central planning, and these strategies were signijcantly related to perceived environmental uncertainty. Specifically, managers perceptions of increased environmental uncertainty were found to be negatively related to proactive strategies and positively related to defensive strategies. Defensive strategies were also linked to higher performance.     

胰岛素临床应用的现状与趋势——2005年～2007年上海市83家样本医院用药分析

目的了解胰岛素在上海市83家样本医院应用的现状与趋势，供生产、营销、使用等部门参考。方法调研上海市83家样本医院2005年-2007年应用制剂品种、金额、用量、构成比、增长率以及综合临床的情况。结果近年来应用胰岛素的金额和用量有较大幅度的增长，前10位制剂产品主要是天津诺和和美国礼来，2006年以后吉林通货甘舒霖30R进入，用量呈上升趋势。胰岛素类似物新品种甘精、门冬、赖脯胰岛素在临床上用量也开始逐渐增多。胰岛素制剂品种趋向多样化，可合理选用。结论胰岛素治疗糖尿病前景看好。     

The effective use of marketing research consultants

Relatively little has been written about effectively managing the buyer-seller relationship for marketing research services. To provide insights into effectively managing this relationship, a survey of both buyers and sellers of marketing research services was conducted. Major findings were that proper problem definition, a familiarity with research methods by the research buyer, and continuous communication between buyer and seller were critical determinants of a successful consultant relationship. For best results the market research buyer-seller relationship should be treated as a mutually beneficial one, not one of conflict or acrimony.     

Impacts of mobile Internet use intensity on the demand for SMS and voice services of mobile network operators: An empirical multi-method study of German mobile Internet customers

Scholarly and business publications alike convey the message that past and future strong growth in mobile Internet (MI) access and service demand has solely positive commercial implications for mobile network operators (MNOs). This position neglects the possibility that increasing MI use intensity may lead to demand decreases for the highly profitable short messaging service (SMS) and mobile voice telephony. The extant literature provides few insights on relations between MI use intensity, on the one hand, and SMS as well as mobile voice call use intensities, on the other hand. This study developed hypotheses concerning the presence or absence of impacts of MI use intensity and circumstances of MI use (e.g., device type, tariff scheme) on the demand for SMS and mobile voice telephony at the individual customer level. The hypotheses were tested by analyzing actual use behaviors of 304 MI adopters in Germany, for whom objective use intensity data were extracted from the billing system of an MNO. These non-reactive measures were combined with responses collected from the adopters through a telephone survey. Multivariate regression results suggest that though MI use intensity significantly negatively affected both number of SMS sent and received, these effects were so small that their practical relevance is highly doubtful. Further, customers who used MI more intensively did not generate lower volumes of outgoing or incoming mobile voice connection minutes. Conclusions are drawn for MNO, telecommunications sector regulators and scholarly researchers seeking to explain the acceptance of mobile communications services.     

Mobile technology usage and B2B market performance under mandatory adoption

This paper investigates the relationship between mandatory adoption of mobile information technology and market performance in the business-to-business (B2B) setting. This study presents and tests the B2B technology satisfaction model (TSM), including perceived loss of control as the mandatory technology acceptance-specific variable. The results of this study reveal that integrating perceived loss of control with user satisfaction and the TAM (technology acceptance model) in a single model can better explain the B2B market performance model. The empirical results suggest that perceived loss of control has a negative effect on user satisfaction and perceived market performance is influenced by user satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Managerial implications of the study are discussed.     

服装消费市场中的顾客感知价值及营销策略

随着消费者可支配收入的增长,服装消费者的消费理念和消费方式随之改变,顾客感知价值也就相应地发生了改变。顾客在购买服装时不再仅仅关注商品本身,而是越来越注重一种精神文化意境的传达。与此同时,购物、消费时的环境、心情与感受对消费者消费决策的影响也越来越凸显其重要性,对应的市场营销策略也应运而生。     

Consumer-perceived risk model for the introduction of genetically modified food in Spain

Since the last part of the 20th century, the search for new forms of cultivation and food has basically centred on the application of biotechnology, giving rise to GM foods. Consumer acceptance is conditioned by the risk that they perceive from introducing food into their consumption habits processed through technology that they hardly understand. Besides, information is insufficient in the consumer ambit and moreover, it is influenced by ideological and ethical determining factors. The factors were analysed that influence this consumer-perceived risk through a structural equation model. This study was conducted in Spain, concretely in the province of Alicante, located in the southeast of this country.     

The diffusion of mobile data services and applications: Exploring the role of habit and its antecedents

Given the prevalence of mobile data services and applications (MDSA) such as App Store, it is important to diffuse MDSA and understand user behavior toward it. Recent research on marketing and information systems (IS) has shed light on the habitual use of frequently used IS. This study attempts to develop a research model that clarifies the role of habit in the actual use of MDSA. Considering the unique and specific characteristics of MDSA, this study examines the antecedents of MDSA habit in an effort to elucidate key factors accelerating the development of MDSA habitual use. Data collected from 317 users who had prior experiences with MDSA were empirically tested against the research model using partial least squares (PLS). The analysis results indicate that both continuance intention and habit play an important role in the actual use of MDSA. Moreover, the findings reveal that habit is a more prevalent predictor of actual use compared to conscious intention. It was found that user satisfaction, perceived monetary value, and variety of use serve as the antecedents of MDSA habit. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are described.     

我国在合理用药中的问题与对策

目的探讨促进合理用药的有效措施,为药品使用管理提供参考。方法结合实际,通过对影响因素及原因进行具体分析,提出有针对性的建议。结果与结论我国药品使用环节的制度尚不完善,建议通过制度完善限制医生处方权,提高药品自身各方面水平,提高社会对药品合理使用的认识,以促进合理用药。     

Environmental uncertainty and environmental scanning activities of nigerian manufacturing executives: A comparative analysis

This study investigated the relationship between perception of environmental uncertainty (PEU) and environmental scanning behavior of Chief Executive Officers of 47 manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The results indicated that perceived uncertainty in the environment was significantly higher for the task environment sectors than for the remote environment sectors; and as perceived uncertainty increased in a sector of the environment, scanning frequency and scanning interests also increased. The results were compared with those of prior research in the area of environmental scanning. The results show both the economic and political legal sectors of the environment to be more salient for Nigerian manufacturing executives than for their American counterparts.     

The antecedents and consequence of functional and dysfunctional conflict between Marketing Managers and Sales Managers

Focusing on the working relationship between Marketing Managers and Sales Managers, our study examines two dimensions of interpersonal conflict: dysfunctional conflict and functional conflict. Drawing on relevant theory, we include three communication variables - frequency, bidirectionality, and quality - as antecedents in our structural model. Using these explanatory variables we predict the two conflict dimensions, and in turn, use these same three communication variables, and the two conflict dimensions to predict our ultimate endogenous variable — perceived relationship effectiveness. Overall, our model has high explanatory power, and we find support for nine of the thirteen hypotheses. More specifically, two of the three communication variables - communication quality and bidirectionality - significantly impact on both forms of conflict, and relationship effectiveness, though communication frequency only influenced the quality of communication between the Marketing Managers and the Sales Managers. In addition, the variables in our model better predict the levels of functional conflict in the Marketing/Sales relationship than dysfunctional conflict. Finally, an important new finding in this research is that the overall level of dysfunctional conflict between these two functional managers is relatively low, while functional conflict is high.     

How value and trust influence loyalty in wireless telecommunications industry

Despite making significant investments in enhancing the customer service experience, long-term customer loyalty remains an elusive dream for many service providers. Particularly in the telecommunications industry, switching providers even from within continuous contract relationships is easy and companies struggle to retain their customers. Trust and value are considered cornerstones of long-term relationships, so it is perhaps surprising that previous research on how relationship age and usage level actually affect value, trust and loyalty is inconclusive. The current research is set in the telecommunications services field and draws on a large-scale survey undertaken in Finland. The findings support the contention that perceived value relates positively to loyalty, and that trust mediates that relationship. Surprisingly, in the telecommunications industry, increasing relationship age and usage level strengthen neither value and loyalty nor the links between trust and loyalty. The results may be explained by the unique characteristics of the highly competitive mobile telecommunications sector, and confirm the view that loyalty does not pay without strategies that value long-term customers and thereby build trust with new customers.     

Exploring perceptions and attitudes towards teaching and learning manual technical drawing in a digital age

This paper examines the place of manual technical drawing in the 21st century by discussing the perceived value and relevance of teaching school students how to draw using traditional instruments, in a world of computer aided drafting (CAD). Views were obtained through an e-survey, questionnaires and structured interviews. The sample groups represent professional CAD users (e.g., engineers, architects); university lecturers; Technology Education teachers and student teachers; and school students taking Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) Graphic Communication courses. An analysis of these personal views and attitudes indicates some common values between the various groups canvassed of what instruction in traditional manual technical drafting contributes towards learning. Themes emerge such as problem solving, visualisation, accuracy, co-ordination, use of standard conventions, personal discipline and artistry. In contrast to the assumptions of Prensky’s thesis [(2001a) Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9, 5. NCB University Press Retrieved Oct 2006 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf; (2001b) Digital natives digital immigrants, Part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon 9, 6. NCB University Press retrieved Oct 2006 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part2.pdf] of digital natives, the study reported in this paper indicates that the school students apparently appreciate the experience of traditional drafting. In conclusion, the paper illustrates the perceived value of such learning in terms of transferable skills, personal achievement and enjoyment.     

The control of intra-channel opportunism through the use of inter-channel communication

Within channels of distribution, there has been some degree of cooperation among channel members. In many cases, channel members actively cooperate with one another in competition against other channels. However, competing channels of distribution also have common interests, including controlling intra-channel opportunism. This research focuses on the use of social mechanisms for controlling intra-channel opportunism.This study investigates whether firms effectively employ inter-channel communication as a method of controlling opportunistic behavior. Under a social control mechanism, firms would pass along information concerning their channel member's reputation. Comparing two different types of firms within a single industry allows for the examination of how firm properties dictate the use of social control mechanisms.     

The use of an interim CEO during succession episodes and firm performance

Our study investigates an unexplored succession process—interim CEO successions. We define an interim CEO succession as a case where the title of chief executive officer is vacated by the incumbent and the board of directors has not announced a permanent successor, but instead designates a particular individual as ‘interim CEO,’ or ‘acting CEO,’ or ‘CEO until a permanent successor is named.’ Theory predicts that interim CEO successions will lead to the type of disruption that can harm firm performance, even after a permanent successor is appointed. Our data show that interim CEO succession processes are widely employed by publicly‐traded U.S. firms, and that they are associated with lower performance during the period in which the interim serves. However, whether the interim CEO also simultaneously serves as chairman moderates the impact of this type of succession on firm performance, as well as on long‐term firm survival. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.