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Children are bombarded by branded communication every day. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that particular linguistic devices play in communication, and whether this process differs between children and adults. One such device is phonetic symbolism, which has been shown to lead adults to prefer brand names whose phonetic attributes match product and/or brand features.

Three experiments were undertaken to examine children's (six to 12 years of age) preference for phonetically manipulated brand names. Experiment 1 replicates findings in previous research showing that preference for a particular brand name within a single product category is dependent on how the brand is described. Experiment 2 extends this research across product categories that are expected to lead to differential brand name preference (based on product features). Finally, experiment 3 investigates the interaction between pure phonetic symbolism and semantic information.

Children show similar patterns of brand name preference (with some age differences that could be attributable to developmental stages), and that they link particular sounds with specific brand/product attributes.

This research shows that when selecting an inventive and distinct brand name, consideration could be given to the relationship between vowel sounds and brand characteristics. The authors believe that the findings are of importance to marketers as they consider different approaches to the naming of new brands.

This is the first set of experiments to investigate the effects of phonetic symbolism on brand name preference utilising a children's sample.

This study aims to analyze a backchannel account on news of the coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic, with information not disseminated in official media due to the social alarm it might cause and the negative image of government management. Specifically, it examines acceptance and dissemination of this type of content in a period of lack of information, while reflecting on what would constitute proper management of this type of channel.

First, based on a literature review, this study classifies possible explanatory variables of online content dissemination into content richness and psychological content. Second, this study performs sentiment analysis of the Twitter backchannel account @COVID_19NEWS and use Qualitative Comparative Analysis to find causal configurations of variables that obtained a high rate of retweets.

The results reveal predominance of one combination of three factors in backchannel information diffusion: emotional, identifying and video content. Other interesting combinations of factors were shown to be attractive enough to contribute to success of the tweets.

Knowledge of the main configurations that attract information dissemination in backchannel accounts is useful for public management of a health crisis such as the Covid-19 outbreak. Rather than suppressing these channels, the authors discuss different solutions.

This study advances scholarship on backchannel communications in emergency situations, providing insights to understand and manage such channels.

Este estudio analiza una cuenta extraoficial sobre noticias del coronavirus al inicio de la pandemia, con información no difundida en los medios oficiales por su posible repercusión en la alarma social y la imagen negativa de la gestión gubernamental. Concretamente examina la aceptación y difusión de este contenido en un periodo de desinformación, así como reflexiona sobre la gestión de este tipo de canales.

En primer lugar, en base a la revisión de la literatura, clasificamos las variables explicativas según la riqueza de contenido y el contenido psicológico. En segundo lugar, sobre la cuenta extraoficial de @COVID_19NEWS en Twitter, realizamos análisis de sentimiento y utilizamos Análisis Comparativo Cualitativo (QCA) para encontrar configuraciones causales de variables que obtuvieron una alta tasa de retweets.

Los resultados revelan la importancia de una combinación de tres factores en la difusión de información del canal secundario: contenido emocional, identificativo y video. Otras combinaciones de factores también contribuyeron al éxito del tweet.

Estas configuraciones podrían ser útiles para la gestión pública ante una crisis sanitaria como la Covid-19, prestando atención a los factores cuya configuración atrae la difusión de información en las RRSS. En lugar de suprimir estos canales, se presentan soluciones para garantizar una colaboración eficaz.

Este estudio realiza una contribución académica a las comunicaciones extraoficiales en situaciones de emergencia, proporcionando información para comprender y gestionar este tipo de canales.

Covid-19, Coronavirus, Canal extraoficial, Twitter, Análisis cualitativo comparado

Trabajo de investigación

在新冠疫情初期, 由于可能引起社会恐慌和政府管理部门的负面形象, 官方媒体缺少相关的新闻报道。本文研究了在这种官方信息匮乏的危机时期, 非正式渠道（backchannel）对于新冠病毒内容的接受和传播情况, 本文同时反思了如何对这类非正式渠道进行正确的管理。

基于文献综述, 我们先将在线内容传播的可能解释变量分为内容丰富度和心理内容这两个方面。其次, 我们对推特上的非正式渠道账户@COVID_19NEWS发布的内容进行情感分析, 并使用定性比较分析法来寻找内容获得高转发率的原因。

结果显示, 对于非正式渠道信息的成功传播, 情绪化、具有辩认度和包含视频内容这三个要素的组合占主导地位。此外, 其他要素的组合也有来助于推文的成功传播和扩散。

了解非正式渠道吸引信息传播的主要原因, 将有利于应对健康危机（例如Covid-19爆发）和进行公共管理。文本讨论了不同的解决方案, 而不是简单地压制这些非正式渠道。

这项研究推进了危机背景下非正式渠道传播的学术研究, 为理解和管理这类非正式渠道提供了见解。

关键词 - Covid-19, 新冠病毒, 非正式渠道, 推特, 定性比较分析

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the usefulness of the sociolinguistic perspective and sociolinguistic theories for knowledge production in corporate naming research.

Companies' naming practices have been researched from various aspects, mainly within the disciplinary frame of organisational studies, and with a focus on corporate branding. Because a company name is a sociolinguistic representation, and corporate naming a sociolinguistic process, it is logical to assume that corporate naming research can benefit significantly by embracing a sociolinguistic perspective.

The paper explains how (socio)linguistics can help organisational scholars to view corporate naming practices as interacting with cognition, society and social knowledge, and as a product of defined social circumstances. Once perceived as accredited within organisational studies, (socio)linguistics, the paper suggests, will become an integral part of theorising both organisational discourse and corporate naming as a part of that discourse.

An increased transdisciplinarity of the research into corporate naming practices will definitely contribute to the marketability and commercial value of the knowledge thus produced.

Advocating a dialogue between corporate naming research and (socio)linguistics, this paper constitutes yet another step towards overcoming limitations the disciplinary frame of organisational studies imposes upon research into discourse‐related issues within an organisation.

This study was carried out in 2013 and aims to define the professional self-efficacy of preschool teachers (PTSE); define preschool teachers' perception of preschool excellence (PTPPE); and investigate the relationship between the two.

Scales for PTPSE and PTPPE were developed especially for this study. Preschool teachers (N = 202) participated during the 2013 school year. Structural equation modelling was performed to test the fit between the research model and the obtained data.

PTPSE scale (a = 0.91) comprised three subscales: pedagogy (a = 0.84), organisation (a = 0.85) and staff (a = 0.72). The PTPPE scale (a = 0.92) is also composed of three subscales: organisation and pedagogy (a = 0.88), staff (a = 0.84) and parents (a = 0.83). The goodness of fit measures were RMSEA = 0.045, CFI = 0.97, NFI = 0.89, df = 173, χ² = 242.94, p = 0.000, showing GFI = 1.4 (<3) as a good fit.

As the sample was relatively small, the results need to be replicated with larger samples. Therefore, the conclusions of this study are only partially applicable. Another limitation is that both the PTPSES and PTPPE were tested only in Israel and not in other environments.

Understanding self-efficacy of preschool teachers, preschool excellence and the relations between them could assist policymakers with decisions concerning continuing professional development (in service training) of preschool teachers.

Little is known about perceived self-efficacy of preschool teachers, their perception of preschool excellence or the relations between the two.

Elaborates on dialogue between Laureates Ragnar Frisch and Jon Tinbergen with regard to an evaluation of their judicious contributions to the science of economics (the two were first recipients of the economic science prize in 1969). Investigates the open conflict between classical and modern modes in reasoning in economics. Gives an in‐depth summation of the lecture by Frisch.

To define the main elements of a formal calculus which deals with fractional Brownian motion (fBm), and to examine its prospects of applications in systems science.

The approach is based on a generalization of the Maruyama's notation. The key is the new Taylor's series of fractional order f(x+h)=E_α(h^αD^α)f(x), where E_α( · ) is the Mittag‐Leffler function.

As illustrative applications of this formal calculus in systems science, one considers the linear quadratic Gaussian problem with fractal noises, the analysis of the equilibrium position of a system disturbed by a local fractal time, and a model of growing which involves fractal noises. And then, one examines what happens when one applies the maximum entropy principle to systems involving fBms (or shortly fractals).

The framework of this paper is applied mathematics and engineering mathematics, and the results so obtained allow the practical analysis of stochastic dynamics subject to fractional noises.

The direct prospect of application of this approach is the analysis of some stock markets dynamics and some biological systems.

The fractional Taylor's series is new and thus so are all its implications.

This paper provides remarkable insight into the structural components of a firm's core competence and its development via research and development (R&D) activities for innovation and exporting activities.

The authors have used a positivist design and a deductive methodology. The authors have examined the extant literature developing a theoretical framework to empirically investigate the relationships between a firm's core competence, organisational learning (OL), tacitness, dynamic capability and R&D activities. To carry out this investigation, the authors have collected stratified sample data from 330 firms operating in North East England, a peripheral region of England.

The authors have found that there are indeed significant statistical relationships between these structural components, R&D activities and a firm's core competence, and this nexus is pertinent to innovation and exporting. Furthermore, it is found that North East England is significantly constrained by the lack of finance, technological capability, experts and brain drain. Based on these findings, the authors propose a cooperative R&D framework to narrow down these constraints to assist firms in developing core competencies for innovation and exporting in peripheral regions.

There is an urgent need to investigate the incidence of knowledge-driven activities, R&D, the extent of innovation and exporting activities of firms operating in North East England, a peripheral region of the United Kingdom (UK).

This study provides an original and systematic investigation of the firm's core competence and its formation via key structural components for innovation and exporting within an empirical framework.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the authors’ previous contributions on aircraft flutter model parameters identification. Because closed-loop condition is more widely used in today’s practice, a closed-loop stochastic model of the aircraft flutter test is constructed to model the aircraft flutter process, whose input–output signals are all corrupted by the observed noises. Through using a rational transfer function, the equivalent property between the aircraft flutter model parameters and polynomial coefficients is established, and then the problem of aircraft flutter model parameters identification is turned to one closed-loop identification problem. An iterative identification algorithm is proposed to identify the unknown polynomial coefficients, being benefit for the latter flutter model parameter identification. Furthermore, as the closed-loop output corresponds to the flutter amplitude, so from the point of the minimization with respect to the variance of the closed-loop output, the optimal input signal and optimal feedback controller are all derived to achieve the zero flutter, respectively, for example, the optimal input spectrum and the detailed form for optimal feedback controller.

First, model parameter identification for aircraft flutter is reviewed as one problem of parameter identification and this aircraft flutter model corresponds to one closed-loop stochastic model, whose input signal and output are corrupted by external noises. Second, for aircraft flutter closed-loop statistical model with statistical noise, an iterative identification algorithm is proposed to identify the unknown model parameters. Third, from the point of minimizing with respect to the variance of the closed-loop output, the optimal input signal and optimal feedback controller are all derived to achieve the zero flutter, respectively, for example, the optimal input spectrum and the detailed form for optimal feedback controller.

This aircraft flutter model corresponds to one closed-loop stochastic model, whose input signal and output are corrupted by external noises. Then, identification algorithm and optimal input signal design are studied for aircraft flutter model parameter identification with statistical noise, respectively. It means the optimal input signal and optimal feedback controller are useful for the aircraft flutter model parameter identification within the constructed new closed-loop stochastic model.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this problem of the model parameter identification for aircraft flutter is proposed by their previous work, and they proposed many identification strategies to identify these model parameters. This paper proposes a new closed-loop stochastic model to construct the aircraft flutter test, and some related topics are considered about this closed-loop identification for aircraft flutter model parameter identification in the framework of closed-loop condition.

Fintech plays a prominent role in augmenting the financial inclusion of the population and increasing the money supply, which calls for the intervention of monetary policy. This article is an attempt to examine the relationship between the financial inclusion, fintech and monetary policy effectiveness of the Indian economy, within the framework of wealth creation and transmission mechanism through the cost of capital.

On the quarterly data retrieved from multiple sources, autoregressive distributed lagged regression is used to examine the relationship between different variables as explained in four set models; after which the Toda–Yamamoto causality test is employed to capture the direction of the relationship.

The study finds a positive relationship between financial inclusion, fintech and inflation taken as a proxy for Monetary Policy Effectiveness (MPE) in the short as well as in the long run. However, the relationship between fintech and inflation is negative once the cost of capital is included in the models. The causality test exhibits the uni-directional causality from fintech to MPE and MPE to financial inclusion. Bi-directional causality exists between wealth and MPE. Similarly, bank rate and interbank rate are bound by bi-directional causality.

Being financially included facilitates ease and boosts public access to more financial services and credit, leading to increased demand and hence inflation. Hence government and regulators need to take mindful measures to enhance the fintech development and financial inclusion to make the monetary policy effective.

As per the author's best knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between fintech, financial inclusion and monetary policy effectiveness in the context of the Indian economy.

This paper aims to consider the role of geopolitical risk in explaining tourism demand in India, a major tourist destination of the Asian region. Furthermore, the study also considers how in addition to geopolitical risk, economic policy uncertainty, economic growth, exchange rate, inflation and trade openness impact tourism demand.

The Bayer and Hanck (2013) method of cointegration is applied to explore the relationship between geopolitical risk and tourism demand. Furthermore, the study has also used the auto distributed lag model to determine whether there is a long-run cointegrating association between tourism demand, geopolitical risk, economic policy uncertainty, economic growth, exchange rate and trade openness. Finally, the vector error correction model confirms the direction of causality across the set of the major variables.

This paper finds that geopolitical risk adversely impacts inbound international travel to India. This study also obtains the consistency of the results across different estimation techniques controlling for important macro variables. The Granger causality test confirms the unidirectional causality from geopolitical risk to tourism and further from economic uncertainty to tourism. The findings from the study confirm that geopolitical risks have long-term repercussions on the tourism sector in India. The results indicate that there is an urgent need to develop a pre-crisis management plan to protect the aura of Indian tourism. The tourism business houses should develop skilful marketing strategies in the post-crisis to boost the confidence of the tourists.

This paper provides valuable practical implications to tourism business houses. The tourism business houses can explore geopolitical risk measure and economic policy uncertainty measure to analyse the demand for international tourism in India. Further, the major stakeholders can establish platforms to help tourists to overcome the fear associated with geopolitical risk.

This study is the first of its kind to explore the geopolitical risks and their long-run consequences in the context of tourism in India. The study puts emphasis on the role of national policy to maintain peace otherwise it would be detrimental to tourism.