经济衰退如何影响了美国人的消费行为

金融危机打断并阻碍中国经济转型。2008年的国际金融危机造成世界经济衰退,严重打击了出口导向型经济,造成出口部门萎缩、就业岗位减少、失业率提高、工资增长率降低,打断了中国经济正在经历的转型。     

The golden age of protein: initial teacher trainee's perception of food and eating

We make use of proteins in all aspects of our daily lives from soft‐centred sweets to biological washing powders, yet we often misunderstand their fundamental role in our diet. This paper will draw on the findings of a three‐phase research project into initial teacher trainee's perception of food and eating. Trainees demonstrated several similar misconceptions about the food they eat and in particular, the role of proteins. Examples included the role of proteins as an energy source, the relationship between proteins, amino acids and nitrogen and the role of DNA in synthesising proteins. These misconceptions were often translated into practice in the diet the trainees consumed and the messages they passed on, with confidence, to their pupils. In addition to the misconceptions, teaching approaches used by the trainees were highly mechanistic, with little reference being given to the relationship between food and the circumstances in which it is eaten. The relationship between dietary intake and exercise/circumstance is explored in secondary schools within food technology lessons. Often, however, it is too late to rectify the deeply entrenched misconceptions, attitudes and eating habits that school children have developed in their primary years. This paper makes the firm recommendation that we should reconsider the dietary messages we are sending out either directly or indirectly, to children. It emphasises the need to relate teaching and learning to everyday experiences. The paper concludes by suggesting possible strategies by which this may be achieved, with the protein featuring centre‐stage.     

The reluctant Hong Kong consumer: purchasing travel online

Hong Kong consumers have embraced the web but appear reluctant to buy airline tickets online, suggesting that perceptions of risk outweigh perceived convenience. In this study we identify that both risk and convenience factors are associated strongly with willingness to purchase, particularly privacy, security and poor customer service, time savings, site usability and information provision. We identify further that the experienced shopper is only moderately satisfied and that satisfaction appears to be associated strongly with willingness to make further purchases. Overall, findings suggest that although consumers recognize a number of benefits, there is deep‐rooted resistance to buying this particular product online. The explanation may lie in a combination of the physical density of the Hong Kong market, love of the whole shopping experience and a desire to minimize risk. We conclude that to tempt consumers online airlines and agents must target the Hong Kong market with a clear value proposition which includes user‐friendly sites, streamlined payment procedures, on‐ and offline customer support, price‐related promotions and tailored offline services which reinforce online offerings.     

Is Background Music Effective On Retail Websites?

Web designers often advise online retailers against incorporating background music on websites. However, the effect of music in brick-and-mortar retail settings has generally been found to be favorable. The research on the effects of music has been mixed. Our study aims to examine whether congruent music on the website homepage influences online consumers. Using the responses of 290 visitors to two different commercial websites, we test the influence of background music on consumers’ arousal and pleasure perceptions. The results indicate congruent background music on a website's homepage will generate positive affective responses of arousal and pleasure within users, and will enhance users’ perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment as well. The findings reveal the effects of respondent’ affective responses to the music differed by gender. Website music produces significant affective and cognitive responses in high web skill/low web challenge users and explains more of website enjoyment.     

Escaping a silent world: profound hearing loss,cochlear implants and household interaction

For some people with profound hearing loss, cochlear implants offer a way back to patterns of communication that most of us take for granted. Travel, shopping and work contexts are largely dependent on the ability to recognize and respond to speech. This study examined implant user and partner perspectives on problems and coping strategies. The aim was to map the experiences of adults and their hearing partners living with deafness; and the changes brought about by cochlear implant use. Information was gathered by means of recorded joint interviews in a semi‐structured form with implant users and their partners. Interview themes including social isolation, employment difficulties and loss of confidence emerged as main difficulties prior to implantation. All participants were positive regarding the use of cochlear implants and, after implantation, benefits accrued in communication and social interaction. Provision of multidisciplinary support and consumer information for severe/profoundly hearing impaired adults was seen as problematic. Sample size – six couples – reflected the limited number of adult cochlear implant operations performed in Scotland. However, the results indicate their interactional experiences to be worthy of further investigation on a larger scale.     

Modernizing times: UK hearing‐impaired consumers at the policy crossroads

Although there is now a long‐standing belief in the UK that free consumer choice improves market efficiency, the supply of some consumer products and services remained controlled by the state. In the interests of consumers, it regards as vulnerable to misdirection and malpractice or unlikely to have the technical expertise to make informed decisions. Historically, the supply of hearings aids has been restricted to the National Health Service and specific licensed practitioners in the independent sector. Recent changes to both product and service provision have brought about a radical alteration to this situation, and to the framework of control. This case study of a changing healthcare system demonstrates more generally the difficulties experienced by people trying to improve or maintain auditory functions for speech communication. Access to appropriate technological solutions may be precluded by cost, distribution arrangements or lack of knowledge. Overarching these difficulties, regional health policy variations within the UK mean that consumer experiences vary according to where they live. Consumer influence over the direction and scope of changes to the hearing aid market is limited despite the rhetoric of choice. This article examines the emerging ‘liberalized’ market and its contradictions.     

The golden age of protein: an initial teacher training perspective on the biological role of proteins in our everyday lives

We make use of proteins in all aspects of our daily lives from biological washing powders to soft‐centred sweets, yet their fundamental role in our diet is often misunderstood. This paper draws on the findings of a three‐phase research project into Initial Teacher Trainee's perception of food and eating, where students demonstrated several similar misconceptions about the food they eat and in particular, the role of proteins. More than 50% of the students thought that protein was a primary source of energy and were confused about the relationship between proteins, amino acids and nitrogen, and the role of DNA in synthesizing proteins. These misconceptions were often translated into practice in the diet the students consumed and the messages they passed on, with confidence, to their pupils. In addition to the misconceptions, teaching approaches used by the students were highly mechanistic, with little reference being given to the relationship between food and the circumstances in which it is eaten. The relationship between dietary intake and lifestyle is explored in secondary schools within Food Technology lessons. However, it is often too late to rectify the deeply entrenched misconceptions, attitudes and eating habits that school children have developed in their primary years. This paper makes the recommendation that we should reconsider how nutrition education is delivered in schools, especially at a primary level: emphasizing the need to relate teaching and learning to everyday experiences. The paper concludes by suggesting possible strategies by which this may be achieved, with proteins featuring centre‐stage.     

Developing a distinctive consumer marketing organization

Marketing excellence is a key success factor in virtually any industry or company focused on consumer products or services. Defining what marketing excellence really means and how to mobilize the organization to achieve that goal, however, can be extremely challenging. This article examines the changing nature of the relationship between consumer and marketer and identifies the characteristics of excellent consumer marketing companies. While there is clearly no single right answer in designing marketing organizations, a number of companies in a variety of consumer industries have begun experimenting with promising results. While the solutions are different in each case, a number of common themes—including a clear linkage between strategy and marketing skills, seamless integration across the business system, and a clear marketing culture—are beginning to emerge.