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Although there is evidence that the efforts of pharmaceutical marketing exert a positive and significant influence on physician prescription decisions, the specific mechanisms by which this impact occurs remain uncertain. To address this issue, this study aims to investigate whether the physician’s habit persistence may explain the relationship between marketing efforts such as brand attributes and drug promotion and prescribing behavior. This study also explores whether there was any significant difference between specialists and general practitioners (GPs) regarding the effect of brand attributes and drug promotion on physician’s habit persistence, which influences prescribing behavior.

A survey instrument was administered to physicians, encompassing specialists in a particular field and GPs who provide primary care services. A nonparametric partial least squares multigroup analysis was used to analyze 393 valid responses using partial least squares-structural equation modeling.

The results indicate that the decision to prescribe the drug may be affected by the physician’s habit persistence in the presence of vital brand attributes and drug promotion. The relationship between physician’s habit persistence and prescribing behavior is significant in GPs and specialist groups. The findings also reveal that brand attributes are the most influential and significant determinant of physician’s habit persistence in the GPs group. In addition, physician specialists are more aware of the influence of drug promotion initiatives than GPs. Furthermore, this study discovered that the relationship between drug promotion and physician’s habit persistence indicates a significant difference between specialists and GPs.

Although several marketing scholars discuss the factors influencing prescribing behavior, a few studies have shown the role of brand attributes and drug promotion and their effect on physician’s habit persistence. This study will specifically contribute by examining the mediating role of physician’s habit persistence between marketing efforts and prescribing behavior. In addition, so far, no studies have effectively made a comparative analysis across physicians regarding the effect of marketing efforts on physician’s habit persistence and prescribing behavior.

This paper presents a behavioral economics model with bounded rationality to describe an individual's food consumption choices that lead to weight gain and dieting. Using a physiological relationship determining calories needed to maintain weight, we simulate the food consumption choices of a representative female over a 30-year period. Results show an individual will periodically choose to diet, but that diet will reduce weight only temporarily. Recurrence of weight gain leads to cyclical dieting, which reduces the trend rate of weight increase. Dieting frequency is shown to depend on decision period length, dieting costs, and habit persistence.

This chapter analyzes the empirical relationship between the pricesetting/consumption behavior and the sources of persistence in inflation and output. First, a small-scale New-Keynesian model (NKM) is examined using the method of moment and maximum likelihood estimators with US data from 1960 to 2007. Then a formal test is used to compare the fit of two competing specifications in the New-Keynesian Phillips Curve (NKPC) and the IS equation, that is, backward- and forward-looking behavior. Accordingly, the inclusion of a lagged term in the NKPC and the IS equation improves the fit of the model while offsetting the influence of inherited and extrinsic persistence; it is shown that intrinsic persistence plays a major role in approximating inflation and output dynamics for the Great Inflation period. However, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected at the 5% level for the Great Moderation period, that is, the NKM with purely forward-looking behavior and its hybrid variant are equivalent. Monte Carlo experiments investigate the validity of chosen moment conditions and the finite sample properties of the chosen estimation methods. Finally, the empirical performance of the formal test is discussed along the lines of the Akaike's and the Bayesian information criterion.

Develops a habit‐persistence model which is based on the assumption that experience conditions present behaviour and expectations. Notes that the model combines the adaptive expectations hypothesis with the partial adjustment process. Concludes that accurate forecasts for declining regions are produced but the results for growing regions are not significant.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of aggregate suicides in 15 OECD countries during 1960-2010 using an economic model where changes in the welfare of consumers play the critical role for determining the number of suicides.

The hardship index based on economic theory is developed. In estimating the model, the authors apply the Pesaran et al. (2001) approach that allows the simultaneous estimation of the long-run and short-run parameters. To make sure that the authors’ findings are not specific to their method, the authors also use the generalized method of moments estimation in the panel set-up.

The authors found a relatively strong positive relationship between macroeconomic conditions, especially changes in aggregate consumption, and suicides. The relationship appears to be robust also in terms of the various control variables cited in the literature. The hardship index which is based on the habit persistence model of consumption predicts and explains the long-term behavior of suicides in most of the countries. Thus, the hardship index is a better economic explanatory variable than the unemployment rate or other proxies describing economic conditions.

Marrying the economic theory and econometric methods produces a reasonable empirical model to explain the connection between aggregate economic conditions and suicides.

The role of patient’s characteristics in the prescribing decision of physicians comprises two major constructs: drug request and expectations. The purpose of this paper was to examine the existing literature on patient characteristics and then explore the circumstances that reinforce the connection between patient characteristics (drug requests and expectations) and physician prescribing decision.

A survey of the literature was carried out across online databases from 1994 to 2015, and 25 reviewed articles were identified. The influence of patient factors on physician prescribing decisions was identified in the articles. A conceptual model to investigate the patient characteristics that influence physicians’ prescribing decision was the developed.

There have been numerous studies on the effect of patient characteristics on physician prescription decision. Some studies discovered patient’s request for drug and expectations strongly influence physicians’ prescribing decision, whereas others found only minor or no relation. To resolve this ambiguity, there is a need to precisely understand how patient factors affect prescribing decisions of physicians, under different contexts and conditions. This review contends that contextual variables – drug characteristics, drug cost/benefits ratio and physician habit persistence – are determining factors in this debate.

The study recommends further studies on the influence of each factor on physician prescribing behaviour and an evaluation of the proposed model and moderating variables.

This paper is the first significant step towards recognizing contextual variables that may moderate the relationship between a patient’s drug request and expectations and prescribing behaviour. This research contributes to resolving the debate on the ways patient factors affect prescribing behaviour.

Focussing on Latin American immigrants in Barcelona, the objective of this paper is twofold: to measure their degree of ethnical identity; and to analyse the relationship between food habits and their ethnical identity.

Face‐to‐face interviews with a representative sample of Latin American immigrants in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona are undertaken. Ethnic identity is measured using the MEIM scale, which combines aspects from the social identity and personal development theories. Finally, a Multinomial Logit Model is used to identify the relationship between food habits and ethnical identity.

Results indicate that the higher the level of ethnic identity and feeling of belonging of immigrants in Catalonia, the greater the persistence of dietary habits from the country of origin. Contrasting with results from other studies, no correlation is found between the persistence of dietary habits and either the length of time spent in Spain or the level of integration into the Catalan culture (measured through use of the Catalan language).

Findings should logically be interpreted within the context of the population and sample studied. Further research should be addressed to analyze other immigrant groups such as Muslims, Asians and Eastern Europeans.

This study explores the strength of traditional food habits of immigrants living in a foreign cultural environment and the role of ethnic identity in contributing to this strength. While past literature focussing on this topic is based on atheoretical and partial indicators to measure ethnic identity, this study provides evidence on the usefulness of using a theory‐based and multidimensional measure. The behaviour of Latin American immigrants in Spain is used as a case study.

This study aims to address the role of habit strength in explaining loyalty behaviour.

The study uses 2,063 consumers' data from a survey in Denmark and Spain, and multigroup structural equation modelling to analyse the data. The paper describes an approach employing the psychological meanings of the habit construct, such as automaticity, lack of awareness or very little conscious deliberation.

The findings suggest that when habits start to develop and gain strength, less planning is involved, and that the loyalty behaviour sequence mainly occurs guided by automaticity and inertia. A new model with habit strength as a mediator between satisfaction and loyalty behaviour provides a substantial increase in explained variance in loyalty behaviour over the traditional model with intention as a mediator.

This study contributes to the existent literature by providing an extension of the prevalent consumer loyalty theorizing by integrating the concept of habit strength and by generating new knowledge concerning the conscious/strategic and unconscious/automatic nature of consumer loyalty. The study derives managerial implications on how to facilitate habit formation and how to influence habit‐based versus intention‐based loyalty behaviour. The external validity of this study is assured by nationwide representative samples in two countries.