The consequence of possessions: Self-identity,extended self,psychological ownership and probabilities of purchase for pet’s fashion clothing

This research attempts to exemplify whether pets ascribed as possessions can be regarded, as part of our selves, i.e., a metaphoric relationship with pets, by examining the dynamic relationship between beliefs, extended self, self-identity concerning possessions, and psychological ownership.This study extends the literature by developing a conceptual model asserting that probabilities of purchase for pets, in particular, are contingent on possessions and the extended self. A sample of 326 pet owners was selected, and by using SEM, the direct and indirect relationships were explored. Self-identity and beliefs were significantly associated with psychological control and the extended self, however, beliefs were negatively related to the probabilities of purchase. The extended self and the psychological ownership demonstrated mediating relationships. The study contributes to an understanding of the theoretical relationship between the role of possessions and provides scholars and retail practitioners with an understanding of probabilities of purchase for pet fashions.     

Does excessive buying for self relate to spending on pets?

Using two studies, this article explores how a tendency to buy excessively for self relates to spending on one's pet. Existing research on excessive buying reports that these buyers spend money primarily on themselves. Excessive buying is the tendency to be preoccupied with buying and, consequently, to buy relatively more and more often than others. The first study, using a qualitative research approach, provides insights into the relationship of excessive buying for self and for pets. This study reveals that excessive buyers consider their pets as full family members and extensions of themselves. The second study, a national survey conducted via the Internet, provides a quantitative test of the relationship between excessive buying for self and spending on pets. Respondents who score high on an excessive buying index also tend to spend more on their pets for toys, food treats, clothing, accessories, and grooming products.     

从文人的“口头禅”谈高校师德教育

师德教育是高校师资队伍建设的重点工作之一。就工作中某高校老师一句“老不死的”的口头禅事件，从编辑作者关系的反思、口头禅事件的反思、编辑与教育工作关系的反思、师德教育的反思等方面，思考性地得出有益于自己改正不足、有益于他人进步、有益于高校师德教育提升的想法，为高校师德教育实践活动传递正能量，最后提出高等学校用社会主义核心价值体系引领高校师德教育的一般性建议和具体途径。     

How much is that doggie in the window? Machiavellian reflections on dog regulation

The article recounts the storey of the “Eulogy of the Dog” first given by George Vest in 1870 in a court case in defence of the noble animal and friend. It highlights the unselfishness of the noble creature and its support for mankind. Regulating for Consumption with Bite is then reviewed and a future research agenda highlighted for the appreciation of canines and their human companion relationships. The article raises concern about the increasing consumption of dog meat for food and the lack of caring animal regulation in much of Asia and Africa. The article argues for effective pressure group activity internationally to ensure Old Drum does not end up on somebody's plate.     

Pet loves, rants, and raves: Commentary on Downey and Ellis's article

Downey and Ellis's article about the acquisition of cats is timely. Across Western nations, the popularity of pet ownership is steadily increasing. Industry figures show that this trend strongly reflects high as well as low involvement household-purchase decisions. Reasons for the upswing are unclear. A cogent explanation is that increases in divorce, separation, and single households mean that more consumers seek companionship and/or a sense of family via pet ownership. Other explanations warrant additional investigation. Do absent parents substitute pets as socialising agents for their children? Are modern parents susceptible to the Paris-Hilton effect? What is the role of pets in the psychological and physical health of the elderly? Do consumers use pets to enact multiple identities and resolve identify conflicts? An important question looms large. Why do business researchers neglect the examination of animals as consumer products and co-producers of leisure activities? Perhaps they(we?) are reluctant to acknowledge “another inconvenient truth”; the role of (wo)man's will to power in the devastating, possibly unethical, treatment of animals. Elizabeth Costello, the fictional animal rights activist in J.M. Coetzee's [Coetzee J.M. Elizabeth Costello. Great Britain: Secker and Warburg; 2003.] book, presents us with a provocative question. By raising billions of animals a year, often in squalid conditions before brutally slaughtering them for their meat and/or skin, are we complicit to a crime of stupefying proportions?