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Critical mutual benefits from Austria joining the EU are identified and discussed. Austria obtains greater economic bargaining power, loses some soverignty but retains neutrality and voice. EU gains strategic location, an educated and skilled workforce and perhaps a conscience regarding environment and small business protection. The “Anschluss” this time is a win/win situation for Austria, EU and for Europe.

To uncover the major government constraints to enactment and implementation of public health-targeted climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies in order to equip public health stakeholders and health advocates with the knowledge resources necessary to more effectively mobilize and support CCA for public health responses at the national level.

A mixed-methods online survey was distributed to the representatives of national public health associations and societies of 82 countries. The survey comprised 15 questions assessing national progress on CCA for public health and the effects of various institutional, economic/financial, technical and sociopolitical barriers on national adaptive capacity.

Survey responses from 11 countries indicated that national commitments to CCA for public health have increased markedly since prior assessments but significant shortcomings remain. The largest apparent barriers to progress in this domain were poor government coordination, lack of political will and inadequate adaptation finances.

This study is unique in relation to the prior literature on the topic in that it effectively captures an array of country-specific yet cross-cutting adaptation constraints across diverse national contexts. With a deepened understanding of the major determinants of national adaptive capacity, international actors can devise more effective, evidence-informed strategies to support national governments in responding to the health impacts of climate change.

This paper aims to uncover consumer evaluations of high-priced traditional retail luxury brands and more affordable neo-mass luxury retail brands when they imitate the innovative designs of one another.

Using a scenario inspired by a lawsuit involving admitted copying practices, this study used a one-way (time of product introduction: the traditional luxury brand launches the product design before the neo-mass luxury brand vs the neo-mass luxury brand launches the product design before the traditional luxury brand) between-subjects experimental design to examine the effect of time of product introduction (such that consumers are aware of imitation practices) on brand attitude, brand equity (measured via the dimensions of brand associations, brand image, brand credibility and brand leadership) and brand preference.

Results reveal that consumer awareness of imitation practices is important in determining changes in brand equity, brand attitude and brand preference, regardless of luxury brand type. The research also indicates that consumers evaluate traditional luxury brands that engage in imitation practices more negatively than neo-mass luxury brands that do so.

This research provides a deeper understanding of consumer response to imitation practices, along with managerial insight for luxury brands operating in that sphere. Limitations and future research directions are also offered.

This study appears to be one of the first to investigate imitation practices by using stimuli inspired by a copycat case, and one of few that assesses consumer evaluations of imitation by existing brands.