Young Europeans abroad in Scotland: an exploration of how their attitudes to consumer credit reflect dimensions of culture

Nineteen young Europeans from across the Continent took part in in‐depth interviews where a wide range of consumer‐related issues were explored. These issues ranged from specific consumer behaviours and consumer value gained to consumer protection and other aspects of policy. Respondents were postgraduates studying at Scottish universities or young professionals currently working in Scotland. The interviews were structured around a number of key themes that were developed both from the literature and from an in‐depth pilot study. One of these themes was designed to explore the respondents’ attitudes towards saving and borrowing, in particular, consumer credit; and this forms the focus for the current paper. The theme had been developed initially with reference to Hofstede’s cultural dimension of ‘uncertainty avoidance’. However, it also successfully illuminated some of the other cultural dimensions in Hofstede’s typology. As anticipated, respondents tended to benchmark consumer culture in their home country against that of the host country (Scotland). What was surprising was the consensus with which they considered the Scottish/British consumers to be the ‘odd ones out’. This observed convergence appears to indicate that historical cultural differences between continental and Anglo‐Saxon cultures survive and may be stronger and more sustained than any differences between the post‐World War II socialist and market democracies.     

Dekubitus

Zusammenfassung  Prophylaxen in der Pflege — Das Dekubitalgeschwür gilt als Generalindikator für die Pflegequalit?t, denn sein Auftreten ist zu über 90% schlechter pflegerischer Versorgung zuzuschreiben. Ein Dekubitus gef?hrdet nicht nur den Patienten, seine Heilung verursacht hohe Kosten. Unsere kurze übersicht gibt Tipps für die richtige Pflege.     

Der Einfluss von Preiserhöhungen auf Konsumenteneinstellungen: Eine experimentelle Studie

Unternehmen neigen vor allem in ges?ttigten M?rkten zum mengenorientierten Preiswettbewerb und setzen Preissenkungen vorzugsweise zur Profilierung ein, wodurch die Preiskriege und der Verdr?ngungswettbewerb weiterhin zunehmen. Preis- und Wertsch?pfungsspielr?ume werden trotz der hohen Gewinnpotenziale bislang von Unternehmen nicht hinreichend ausgenutzt, da negative Reaktionen von Seiten der Konsumenten befürchtet werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es das Ziel dieses Beitrags, zu untersuchen, wie ein Preisanstieg durch geeignete kommunikationspolitische Ma?nahmen begleitet werden kann, um eine negative Beeinflussung der wahrgenommenen Preisfairness zu minimieren.     

False Promises? A Sociological Critique of the Behavioural Turn in Law and Economics

Economic bestsellers like Freakonomics and Nudge that mainly address outsiders of the economic discipline are also consumed by lawyers. The latter has already become an important reference in the field of consumer law and policy. In principle, this is nothing to complain about but part of law’s encounter with science, namely the social sciences. Notably, the law and economics movement proved successful in importing economic perspectives into legal discourse. However, it would seem questionable if the law followed each trend on the academic book market. While there has been an increasing emphasis on economic perspectives at the expense of sociological perspectives within the field of law, economy, and society, a major shift can now also be observed in the field of law and economics. With the behavioural turn in law and economics, homo oeconomicus seems to be transformed into Homer Economicus, and consumer law prone to be Simpsonized. In this paper, the turn from neoclassical law and economics to behavioural law and economics will be analysed from a third, namely sociological perspective: the economic sociology of law. In this framework, it is possible to compare and confront the “old” homo oeconomicus rationalis and the “new” homo oeconomicus behaviouralis with a third model—homo oeconomicus culturalis—which demonstrates the limits of the previous models, not least with regard to explaining the recent financial crisis. While governance by nudges might look, at first sight, as a tempting idea, I will question the normative side of this project and emphasize its possible effects on our legal culture and, thereby, our human condition.     

Kopfsache: Professionelles Training für die grauen Zellen

Pflegefachkraft für Kognitives Training - Wer selbstbestimmt und aktiv sein Leben führen will, muss geistig leistungsf?hig sein. Das gilt in jeder Phase des Lebens, auch für Kranke und ?ltere Menschen. Nicht nur den K?rper, sondern auch den Geist fit zu machen, ist ein Arbeitsfeld für Pflege-Profis.     

Die Herr(inn)en der Daten

Die Study Nurse - Klinische Studien werden immer komplexer, ihre Durchführung immer aufwändiger. Wer hier bestehen will, muss über spezielle Kenntnisse verfügen, mit nationalen und internationalen Regularien sowie mit den Besonderheiten des klinischen Prüfungsalltags vertraut sein. Zertifizierte Studienassistenten leisten genau dies.     

Outlet patronage in on-the-go consumption: An analysis of patronage preference drivers for convenience outlets versus traditional retail outlets

This study investigates patronage preferences of consumers who purchase and consume food and beverages while they are on-the-go (on-the-go consumption). The focus is on the drivers of patronage preferences for convenience outlets versus traditional retail outlets. A literature based model of patronage preferences is developed in this paper. It is tested based on data collected from a Dutch online sample (n=669) through binary logistic regression. The results reveal that significant relationships exist between patronage preferences in on-the-go consumption and the assortment offered as well as the opportunity to consume products without effort. Moreover, significant relationships between patronage preferences and consumers' time pressure as well as their health orientation exist. Consumers' income and their place of residence allow for limited inferences only. Based on the findings managerial recommendations are developed and avenues for further research are pointed out.