The Affordable Care Act and Consumer Well‐Being: Knowns and Unknowns

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, is the latest in a long string of efforts to reform health care in the United States. In this article, we provide a brief background and explore key components of this law. We examine extant research on what is known about how insurance coverage impacts consumer well‐being and the role health and financial literacy play in achieving well‐being. We then introduce important research questions highlighting areas where little is known and where much opportunity lies to inform policy and improve consumer well‐being.     

Disadvantaged Hispanic Consumers: A Research Perspective and Agenda

Within the limits of sparsely available data, this paper outlines the major barriers to effective consumption for Hispanic-Americans. These barriers are (a) the consumers' own circumstances, attitudes, values and goals; (b) deficiencies in the structure of the markets they typically patronize; and (c) exploitative practices of merchants with whom they come in contact. A research agenda is proposed to provide a basis for overcoming these barriers.     

Five-Stage Acculturation Process of Hispanic Consumers: Theory,Method, and Findings

This study aims at reproducing the acculturation process for adult consumers, introducing continuous measures to reveal the acculturation process’ dynamic nature, and identifying a transitional state. Using U.S. Hispanic consumers as a cardinal example, and six coordinated consumer samples, this study introduces continuous measures of cultural awareness and ethnic loyalty. The revision taken herein overcomes limitations of existing theories and models by better measuring two key forces shaping the acculturation process of Hispanic consumers and by finding a transitional state of resiliency, thereby showing that the process of consumer acculturation can best be reflected in a typology of five states.     

Religiosity, Attitude Toward Business, and Ethical Beliefs: Hispanic Consumers in the United States

Growth of the Hispanic consumer population in America is changing the marketplace landscape. Due to their considerable buying power, a better understanding of Hispanic consumer behavior has become a necessity. The marketing literature has examined issues regarding religiosity and attitude toward business in regards to consumer ethical beliefs as well as research differentiating consumers on the basis of ethnicity due to their inherently different religious principles. Therefore, the present study contributes to the existing consumer ethics literature by examining the roles of religiosity and attitude toward business in determining consumer ethical beliefs. Furthermore, this study compares the relationships among religiosity, attitude toward business, and ethical beliefs at the sub-cultural level (i.e., between Hispanic and Anglo-American consumers). Survey data compare a sample of 187 predominately Catholic Hispanic consumers with a sample of 127 predominately protestant Anglo consumers. Results suggest a positive relationship between intrinsic religiousness and beliefs that questionable consumer activities are unethical. However, extrinsic religiousness does not impact consumer views as to the ethicality of consumer practices. Hispanics exhibit higher levels of extrinsic religiousness than Anglos, but no difference in terms of their intrinsic religiousness. Results also suggest that Hispanics have a more negative attitude toward business than Anglos do. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Consumers and Competition in Health Care: The Case of Denturism

Denturism is the making and fitting of dentures directly for the public by nondentists. It is an example of potential competitive entry in a health services market and, like other such examples, its economic benefits must be weighed against any threat to the public health and safety. This article examines evidence relating to the economic benefits to consumers of legalizing denturism. Conservative estimates are presented of the economic benefits to consumers that would accrue under alternative institutional arrangements. Under several such arrangements it was found that the value of benefits is of the same order of magnitude as total government expenditures on dental services.     

The Impacts of the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act on Consumers

In late 1987 the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act went into effect. Like mandatory beverage deposit legislation in other states, this Act is designed to promote returns through the payment of a redemption value. However, unlike traditional legislation, the Act attempts to promote recycling with lower redemption values and more state intervention. This paper presents a methodology for analyzing the impacts of beverage container recycling legislation on consumers. Applying this methodology to California, it is found that the Act will significantly reduce beverage container solid waste and litter, but the net benefits of the Act depend critically on consumers' valuations of intangible benefits.     

Understanding the Impact of Health Reform on the States: Expansion of Coverage through Medicaid and Exchanges

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid coverage and creates subsidized state health insurance exchanges. The implementation of the ACA will impact the states and consequently the state residents differently. We discuss the factors contributing to the variation in uninsured rates and the Medicaid population, and we predict that these underlying economic, demographic factors and state policies will continue to affect health insurance coverage. Using data from the March 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), we examine health care coverage at the state level prior to the ACA and forecast the percentage of state residents eligible for expanded Medicaid and the exchanges. Our results suggest the percentage of state population eligible for expanded Medicaid and subsidized exchanges will vary considerably, especially for adults. Further, we show that current state Medicaid eligibility rules, the percentage of employers offering health insurance and poverty rates will continue to shape the variation in projected health insurance coverage across the states. Finally, we discuss the potential impact of the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to opt‐out of Medicaid expansion.     

Consumers,cars and communities: the challenge of sustainability

The huge subsidization of sprawling development and the unbridled use of the private automobile needs to be brought to the forefront of public policy debate, not left to the excesses of the market‐place. To do this we need citizens‐in‐the‐community, not consumers‐in‐the‐market. The present costly and unsustainable situation of our human settlements is a result of a profound failure in public policy; a failure that resulted when we left the fate of our human settlements to the vagaries of the market‐place. We can no longer rely on the present subsidized, distorted, market‐place system approach to designing, building and operating our human settlements. The consequences have been disastrous for human welfare, health and safety, and the natural environment upon which all life depends.     

A Comparison of Consumers and Dieticians: Nutrition Focus,Food Choice,and Mental Accounting

Nutrition labels on processed foods are becoming more common throughout the world. How do experts and consumers compare at using this information? This study compares three different conceptualizations of expertise—a body of knowledge, better processing skills, and a greater facility for mental accounting. A survey was used to compare 237 consumers over age 40 with 131 dieticians. We examined the focuses, choices, and mental accounting of food selections. The results demonstrate similar focuses, food choices, predictability, and mental accounting by both groups on all three conceptualizations of expertise. This suggests that nutrition labels benefit both consumers and experts.     

津与京沪穗城镇居民收入差距及其成因分析

从津与京沪穗三市居民收入存在较大差距且逐步扩大的事实出发,从各分项收入的角度分析得出全民集体经济、其他所有制得到的收入和转移收入是津与京沪穗居民收入差距的主要原因;这三种收入之所以对实际收入差距的贡献较大,既有其收入比重差距的原因,又有其内部差距较大的原因;探讨了收入差距之外的因素:所有制、经营机制和产业发展。     

津与京沪穗城镇居民收入差距及其成因分析

从津与京沪穗三市居民收入存在较大差距且逐步扩大的事实出发,从各分项收入的角度分析得出全民集体经济、其他所有制得到的收入和转移收入是津与京沪穗居民收入差距的主要原因;这三种收入之所以对实际收入差距的贡献较大,既有其收入比重差距的原因,又有其内部差距较大的原因;探讨了收入差距之外的因素:所有制、经营机制和产业发展.     

The Ethics of Online Retailing: A Scale Development and Validation from the Consumers’ Perspective

While e-commerce has witnessed extensive growth in recent years, so has consumers’ concerns regarding ethical issues surrounding online shopping. The vast majority of earlier research on this area is conceptual in nature, and limited in scope by focusing on consumers’ privacy issues. This study develops a reliable and valid scale to measure consumers’ perceptions regarding the ethics of online retailers (CPEOR). Findings indicate that the four factors of the scale – security, privacy, non-deception and fulfillment/reliability – are strongly predictive of online consumers’ satisfaction and trust. The results offer important implications for e-retailers and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of e-ethics from the consumers’ perspective. Sergio Román is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Murcia (Spain). He has been a Visiting Scholar at the University of Arizona. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, International Journal of Market Research, European Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Management. His research interests are focused on personal selling and sales management, international marketing and business ethics.     

The Ethiopian Immigrant Business Enclave in the United States: Perceptions of Residents,Consumers, and Entrepreneurs

This study investigates the Ethiopian immigrant urban business enclave and its infrastructure, aesthetics, and quality of life. These immigrants are revitalizing urban areas, and examining the perceptual differences among stakeholders in these neighborhoods is salient. Economic development literature suggests that stakeholders share a common vision in order for revitalization efforts to be successful. Surveys were administered in an urban area to statistically test hypotheses that stakeholder groups have different perceptions. The analysis of variance technique (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that stakeholders differ in their perceptions of the business climate and quality of life.     

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Ethical Values of Consumers: The Potential Effect of War and Civil Disruption

Past research has examined the ethical judgments of consumers in the U.S., but few studies have investigated such attitudes in foreign-market settings. The current study compares ethical attitudes of consumers in two countries (Ireland and Lebanon) which share a cultural similarity of ongoing war and terrorism. The findings reveal that both cultures exhibit low sensitivity to ethical issues. Furthermore, the findings show that the Irish consumers are less sensitive to consumer ethical practices, less idealistic, more relativistic, and more Machiavellian than Lebanese consumers. The authors recommend that other researchers need to further investigate this perplexing issue because ethics is a research topic which often discourages survey respondents to be candid.     

The Beauty Myth and Female Consumers: The Controversial Role of Advertising

Recently, a small number of consumer researchers have voiced concern regarding the question of how and to what degree advertising involving thin/attractive endorsers is linked with chronic dieting, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders in American females. To explore the broader context of this important and controversial issue, this paper draws upon a variety of disciplines and suggests directions for future research. First is a discussion of problems associated with chronic dieting and the diet industry. Next is an exploration of the prevalence, concomitants, and origins of body dissatisfaction in American females. The paper discusses existing advertising research that gives rise to several important propositions regarding the nature of the link between advertising and body dissatisfaction. The conculsion consists of recommendations for research and a brief discussion of public policy implications.     

Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs: The Roles of Money,Religiosity and Attitude toward Business

This article presents the results of a study that investigated the roles that one’s money ethic, religiosity and attitude toward business play in determining consumer attitudes/beliefs in various situations regarding questionable consumer practices. Two dimensions of religiosity – intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness – were studied. A global scale of money ethic was examined, as was a global measure of attitude toward business. Results indicate that both types of religiosity as well as one’s money ethic and attitude toward business were significant determinants of at least some types of consumer ethical beliefs. Scott J. Vitell is Phil B. Hardin Professor of Marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing from Texas Tech University. His recent publications have appeared in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Retailing, the Journal of Business Ethics and the Journal of Consumer Marketing, among others. Jatinder J. Singh is a Ph.D. student in marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his masters from Punjab Technical University, India. He has authored papers previously published in the Journal of Business Ethics and a paper for the American Marketing Association’s Winter Educators’ Conference. Joseph G.P. Paolillo is a Professor of Management in the School of Business at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, Eugene in Organization and Management. His publications have appeared in the Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, Group and Organization Studies, The Accounting Review, Journal of Advertising and Journal of Business Ethics, among several others.     

Business,Consumers and Sustainable Living in an Interconnected World: A Multilateral Ecocentric Approach

Current conceptualizations of environmental responsibility follow a human-centered approach wherein the natural environment is seen as instrumental to human ends. Environmental responsibility, in this context, emerges primarily as the preservation and sustenance of nature in a manner that would limit waste, enhance the aesthetic and spiritual value of nature, and confer psychological and economic rewards upon individuals and businesses that follow a sustainable course of interaction with nature. In contrast, this paper advances an ecocentric approach to sustainable living that ensures the dialectic between human systems and natural and technical systems by explicitly recognizing nature as central to survival and progress. Environmental responsibility within this approach is viewed to be multilateral and institutional rather than merely as moral responsibility of business or of governments.