Effects of Prominence,Involvement, and Persuasion Knowledge on Children's Cognitive and Affective Responses to Advergames

The integrated and highly involving nature of advergames has led to criticism and concern among academics and caretakers. It is assumed that children are highly susceptible to persuasion via advergames, but empirical evidence is scarce. Therefore, this study examined the effects of three factors typically associated with advergames: brand prominence, game involvement, and (limited) persuasion knowledge on cognitive and affective responses. An experiment among 7 to 12 year old children (N = 105) showed that brand prominence and game involvement influenced children's responses, while persuasion knowledge did not. Brand prominence led to increased brand recall and recognition, whereas game involvement led to more positive brand attitudes. The effect of game involvement was mediated by game attitude, indicating that children are susceptible to affective mechanisms induced by the game. Crucially, our results demonstrate that brand prominence evokes cognitive responses, while game involvement leads to affective responses. Finally, our study revealed that persuasion knowledge (i.e. knowledge of the commercial source of the game and its persuasive intent) did not influence cognitive or affective responses to the brand or game. This implies that even if children understand the game's commercial and persuasive nature, they do not use this knowledge as a defense against the advergame's effects. This study has important theoretical and practical implications regarding the influence of new marketing techniques on children.     

Agrobiodiversity,farm profits and land fragmentation: Evidence from Bulgaria

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the role of land fragmentation, crop biodiversity and their interplay with farm profitability. Original primary data are drawn from a survey conducted in the Plodiv region of Bulgaria. The econometric results stress the ambiguous role of land fragmentation on farm profitability. On one hand, land fragmentation reduces farm profitability. On the other hand, land fragmentation fosters crop diversification. We also find that crop biodiversity plays a beneficial role in farm profitability. Policies that aim to increase land consolidation and reduce fragmentation may overlook the positive link between diversity and plot heterogeneity. Policies that encourage land consolidation should, therefore, consider the crucial role that this has on other variables such as farm biodiversity.     

Contents of Volume 21

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 21     

Targeting Revisited

Public spending programs aimed at alleviating poverty can eitherbe broadly targeted at categories ofspending or narrowly targetedat types of people. Each approach has benefits and costs tothe poor. It is often claimed that narrow targeting of the poorwill allow governments to reduce pQverty more effectively andat lower cost. But narrow targeting often has hidden costs,and once these costs are considered, the most finely targetedpolicy may not have any more effect on poverty than a broadlytargeted one. Both approaches also have hidden benefits, althoughless is known about their impact. Targeting can help, but itis not a cure-all. Reducing poverty calls for broadly targetedsocial sector spending combined with narrower targeting of cashand in-kind transfers to spec groups. It is also important forgovernments to experiment with schemes that offer better incentives,to carefully monitor the costs and outcomes, and to be flexibleand pragmatic in their policy responses.      

Strategy and the art of reinventing value

In "From Value Chain to Value Constellation: Designing Interactive Strategy" (July-August 1993), Richard Normann and Rafael Ramírez argue that successful companies increasingly do not just add value, they reinvent it. The key strategic task is to reconfigure roles and relationships among a constellation of actors--suppliers, business partners, customers--in order to mobilize the creation of value in new forms and by new players. What is so different about this new logic of value? It breaks down the distinction between products and services and combines them into activity-based "offerings" from which customers can create value for themselves. But as potential offerings become more complex, so do the relationships necessary to create them. As a result, a company's strategic task becomes the reconfiguration and integration of its compentencies and customers. Normann and Ramírez provide three illustrations of these new rules of strategy. IKEA has blossomed into the world's largest retailer of home furnishings by redefining the relationships and organizational pratices of the furniture business. Danish pharmacies and their national organization have used the opportunity of health care reform to reconfigure their relationships with customers, doctors, hospitals, drug manufacturers, and with Danish and international health organizations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Optimal dynamic environmental policies of a profit maximizing firm

In this paper we study the optimal environmental policy of the firm for different scenarios dependent on (costs of) production technologies, financing costs, and governmental policy. The governmental instruments to be considered are:

Actor-to-actor dissemination of electronic procurement (EP) adoption: an exploration of influencing factors

The merits of electronic procurement (EP) tools have been widely acknowledged. Achieving these benefits remains a challenge, as companies are experiencing difficulties with human adoption during the implementation of such tools. In this article we focus on the intra-organizational spread of EP adoption from one actor to another. Based on exploratory interviews with experts and representatives of large Dutch purchasing organizations, we have identified nine categories of influences on actor-to-actor dissemination: perceived advantage, communication, demonstration, enforcement, training, involvement, risk reduction, reward, and disposition. This study is beneficial to companies engaging in the implementation of EP tools as it provides a portfolio of interventions that can be used to stimulate the spread of adoption. This article addresses a new area in EP research and opens up possibilities for future research in EP implementation.     

An axiomatic theory of heterogeneity and homogeneity

Summary Indices of heterogeneity and homogeneity are used in biology and ecology as well as in other fields of scientific research, e.g. economics, genetics, antropology, sociology. With respect to these indices, reference is made frequently to information theory. In this paper it is shown that especially recent developments in statistical information theory can contribute to the measurement of heterogeneity and homogeneity. They can lead to a more fundamental and unifying approach and bring together both heterogeneity and homogeneity indices in one axiomatically founded theory. Therefore a generalized heterogeneity index is introduced axiomatically. Algebraic, analytic and geometrical properties are investigated. Special attention is paid to the interpretation of these properties and to the choices of the values of the parameters for practical applications. Based on this generalized heterogeneity index, it is possible to given an axiomatic characterization for a class of homogeneity indices. The properties of this class are the reverse of those of the heterogeneity index. Finally, some potential measures for heterogeneity or homogeneity change are discussed.Presently with Delft University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Information Theory Group, P.O. Box 5031, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands.