Mediale Geschlechterstereotype

News represent gender in a manner that continues the process of the symbolic, social, and cultural construction of gender. In Western countries, masculinity and femininity have traditionally been conceptualized as being polar opposites. Although this dichotomous conception still influences all areas of life, nowadays masculinity and femininity are represented in mass media in a more multifaceted way—despite some stable patterns of construction. Moreover, national cultures differ with respect to single attributes of masculinity and femininity as well as to the degree of stereotyping. To identify national differences as well as transculturally shared patterns of gender stereotypes, we analysed gender representations in three countries: Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. In order to gain representative results, a quantitative content analysis was conducted. The study tries to approach gender representations in an innovative way—not only by considering different national cultures and different types of newspapers, but also by avoiding, due to theoretical considerations of deconstruction, to measure gender attributes in dichotomized form. All in all, the results are ambiguous. On the one hand, gender representation is still in line with traditional gender stereotypes—even in times when role models actually change. On the other hand, some aspects depicted new patterns in press coverage and more multifaceted gender representations. To explain these differences, studies should investigate journalistic patterns of selection regarding gender representations, in particular in a comparative longitudinal perspective.     

An archaeological examination of ethnic differences in body care rituals

Body care rituals as expressions of cultural heritage passed intergenerationally through childhood socialization were expected to show variation across income matched groups from two ethnic origins (Anglos and Mexican-Americans). The contents of 1595 collections of household refuse were coded to determine level of usage of products used in body care rituals by two income groups of Hispanics and two income-matched groups of Anglos. Findings regarding group differences in patterns of usage of personal cleansers, household cleansers, oral hygiene products, odor fighters, hair care products, skin care products, cosmetics, feminine protection products, over-the-counter drugs, and aspirin are reported. These findings are interpreted using several alternative theoretical perspectives including body cathexis, status, and role theory, attempts to capture the ‘Good Life,’ pride in the body, and cultural heritage. Propositions for future research are suggested.     

Saving babies? Revisiting the effect of very low birth weight classification

We reconsider the effect of very low birth weight classification on infant mortality. We demonstrate that the estimates are highly sensitive to the exclusion of observations in the immediate vicinity of the 1,500-g threshold, weakening the confidence in the results originally reported in Almond, Doyle, Kowalski, and Williams (2010).     

高盛错了吗？

高盛欺诈门事件使其客户荷兰银行和德国工业银行损失超过数十亿美元,但却使自己的另一位客户鲍尔森公司赚得盆满钵满,高盛真的做错了吗？     

The Content of Internet Advertisements and its Impact on Awareness and Selling Performance

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the different relationships consumers build with anthropomorphised devices and how these relationships affect actual and intended future usage. An exploratory, three-week empirical study of 39 informants using voice controls on their smartphone uncovered a diversity of relationships that the informants built with such devices. We complement anthropomorphism theory by drawing on extended-self theorising to identify three primary roles that emerge from consumers’ interactions with these devices. Our findings theorise the distinct ways in which consumers perceive the object agency of anthropomorphised smart devices and how these perceptions impact the consumers’ engagement and future use intentions.     

Health Systems and Health Reform in Europe

The organisation of health care differs widely across Europe. Access to services, financing schemes, incentives for better care, and administrative efficiency are challenges that are being dealt with in a variety of ways. Are insurance-based systems the best solution for balancing resources and services or are national health funds preferable? Does the introduction of competition fulfil high hopes for better service at lower costs? What are the relative advantages and drawbacks of central and local management of health care?     

Consumer intentions to engage in s-commerce: a cross-national study

Social media has reached global proportions; yet, little is known about how consumers engage with firms in ways that lead to social commerce (s-commerce) – an emerging area of importance in the literature. This study addresses this gap and extends previous research by examining factors that influence consumers’ intentions to engage in s-commerce in four countries: Chile, Spain, South Africa and Australia. Specifically, this study develops and tests a model of consumers’ intentions to engage in s-commerce through brands’ Facebook pages incorporating personal variables (involvement in brands’ products and services, satisfaction with brands’ Facebook page), trust variables (message credibility of Facebook posts, trust in firms’ Facebook) and social variables (peer communication, social media dependency, online social interaction propensity) on predicting intentions to purchase products and services through brands’ Facebook pages if s-commerce was available to them. The findings show that the main drivers of s-commerce engagement are message credibility, trust in the brands’ Facebook, involvement, peer communication and online social interaction propensity, as influencers of consumer satisfaction with brands’ Facebook and social media dependency, which in turn drive intentions to engage in s-commerce. Contributing to theory and practice, these relationships are discussed for the four countries involved in the study.     

An Exploration of Frequent Service Failures in the Brazilian Airline Industry

This study explores how customer evaluations of service failures and failure recurrence impact negative emotions and intent to complain. A survey of 589 Brazilian airline passengers demonstrates the meditational effect of negative emotions such that customers who perceive failures as severe and/or preventable by the airline develop more negative emotions, which subsequently increases intent to complain. We also demonstrate the moderating role of failure recurrence such that failure recurrence reduces the effect of failure severity on negative emotions. Our findings have important implications for managers and airlines in order to mitigate negative outcomes following a service failure.