Willingness to Pay for Quality Labeled Meat in a Rural Area

The aim of this study is to identify consumer perceptions and attitudes toward quality labeled pork and beef using cross-sectional consumer data. Given the dramatic changes over the last years in the meat sector as a result of the recent food scares, the study can facilitate better communicating with consumers and gaining insight into their perceptions and behavior toward meat products. A consumer survey was conducted in the rural region of Thessaly in Greece in order to investigate (a) food quality perceptions, (b) attitudes toward pork and beef quality labels, and (c) intentions to purchase higher priced certified pork and beef. The findings suggest that sociodemographic and personal characteristics have an impact on consumer willingness to pay for such products and different market segments can be targeted by marketers and food policymakers.     

Does advertising the green benefits of products contribute to sustainable development goals? A quasi‐experimental test of the dilution effect

Using two studies, we examine the dilution effect for green products, by testing whether advertising green benefits decreases their perceived instrumentality and thus harms sustainable development. We use a between‐subject design and ask participants to evaluate the efficacy of a pen (Study 1) and a dish detergent (Study 2) with and without environmental attributes. Our results are inconsistent with the predictions of the dilution model because the perceived instrumentality of both products does not decrease when environmental benefits are added. Our findings are relevant for eco‐labeling given anecdotal evidence suggesting that adding green information can harm the perceived quality of products.     

Can traffic light nutritional labels induce healthier consumer choices? Experimental evidence from a developing country

In a context of increasing health problems related to bad dietary habits in developing countries, simplified nutritional label formats may be a promising policy alternative. The aim of this study is to assess whether the multiple traffic light (MTL) system can improve the nutritional quality of consumer decisions. We conducted a selection experiment in Peru, where participants were offered a choice between three alternatives in two different food categories (crackers and beverages). Individuals were randomly assigned products with MTL labels on them. Our results reveal that exposure to MTL labels significantly increases the probability of avoiding the least healthy options and of choosing the healthiest items among the alternatives provided. These effects are large in magnitude and seem to be driven by individuals that are female, report average or above average dietary habits, and lack basic nutritional knowledge. However, our findings also suggest that the effectiveness of MTL labels may be sensitive to the specific characteristics of the set of options provided. These findings contribute to the emerging experimental literature on MTL labels in two ways. First, we provide evidence that this system can be effective in inducing consumers to make healthier choices in real‐life situations. Second, we explore which individuals are more likely to benefit from exposure to MTL labels, as well as potential limitations to their effectiveness. Overall, our results provide new insights on how to assess the issue of bad nutrition in emerging economies.     

Defensive strategy against a private label: Building brand premium for retailer cooperation

We build a game-theoretic model of price competition between a national brand manufacturer and a retailer that also sells its private label. In particular, we examine a national brand's strategy of building brand premium in the context of channel coordination. The importance of national brand's brand equity has been well-documented in many empirical and behavioral studies. We reinforce the argument that building brand premium should be the first line of defense for a national brand instead of aggressively cutting wholesale price. Not only does the national brand manufacturer benefit from it, but also the retailer who sells both the national brand and its own private label has less incentive to promote the latter. Therefore, it can induce retailer cooperation, which is essential for a successful strategy in a distribution channel.     

Do Brands Serve as Reliable Signals of Nutritional Quality? The Case of Breakfast Cereals

Organic and national brand manufacturers position their offerings as nutritious meals for adults and children. Do these brands serve as reliable signals of nutritional quality? To find an answer, this study analyzed a very popular, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal food category based on all the available data from 2011 (324 offerings) from a large UK grocery comparison website, mysupermarket.co.uk. The study shows that it is possible to find store and basic brand offerings that are almost identical to national brand offerings, but much cheaper and with less sugar (the main concern in cereal). Hedonic price regression analysis further confirms that brand and size explain most of cereal’s price variability, regardless of nutritional quality. The findings also reveal that low-sugar cereals are hard to find regardless of price, and almost all cereals targeted at children have high levels of sugar. A replication study (337 offerings in 2012) revealed that, on average, cereal sugar levels and prices increased, while nutritional value decreased.     

关于鄂菜营养化发展的思考

鉴于我国目前的社会背景和鄂菜自身传统优势,营养化发展应成为鄂菜传承与发展的重要切入点。鄂菜营养化发展既是湖北餐饮人的责任,也是鄂菜向高品质内涵发展的机遇;同时,鄂菜营养化发展有其明显优势,也面临着各种挑战。     

半透明彩色书标的提出与实现

城市总分馆网络体系的发展增加了图书加工的工作量,现行书标标识不明显、不易实现图书的快速查找和排架。同时,现行书标有可能遮盖图本身书有关出版社、著者、图书卷册等信息,给读者带来了一定的困惑。推行半透明彩色书标,可正确快速地识别图书的所属馆、所属部门、所属分类,防止遮盖图书本身的信息,对图书排架和体现公共图书馆以人为本、读者至上的服务理念不无裨益。     

动态网络下多源多汇应急疏散问题算法

提出了一个时间依赖容量约束的动态网络下多源多汇的人群应急疏散问题,基于分组疏散的思想和TAG时间依赖网络的最短路算法,设计了一个启发式求解算法。算法将多源多汇问题转化为单源单汇问题,对各源点的待疏散人群采取分组疏散,并为每组人群找到一条满足时变容量约束的最早到达时间的路径及时刻表。最后进行了方法的应用分析。该算法能适用于大规模时变网络的人群应急疏散。