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11 – 20 of 46Kevin W. Cruthirds, Valerie L. Wang, Yong J. Wang and Jie Wei
The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of humor styles used in US and Mexican television advertising.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of humor styles used in US and Mexican television advertising.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 97 television commercials broadcasted by major US and Mexican national television networks were classified under the four humor styles described by Martin et al.
Findings
Humor styles used in television advertising significantly differ between the two countries. US commercials use more affiliative, aggressive, and self‐defeating humor than do Mexican advertisements, while self‐enhancing humor is the predominant humor style of Mexican commercials and is used more frequently in Mexico when compared to the USA.
Practical implications
The findings reveal the frequency and types of humorous television commercials used in the USA and Mexico.
Originality/value
The study suggests that cultural differences should be taken into consideration when humorous advertising is used across borders.
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Ian L. Gordon, Seth Casden and Michael R. Hamblin
This study aims to test the effects of Celliant armbands on grip strength in subjects with chronic wrist and elbow pain. Celliant® is a functional textile fabric containing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test the effects of Celliant armbands on grip strength in subjects with chronic wrist and elbow pain. Celliant® is a functional textile fabric containing minerals that emit infrared radiation (IR) in response to body heat. IR-emitting fabrics have biological effects including the reduction of pain and inflammation and the stimulation of muscle function.
Design/methodology/approach
A randomized placebo-controlled trial recruited 80 subjects (40 per group) with a six-month history of chronic wrist or elbow pain (carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis or arthritis) to wear an armband (real Celliant or placebo fabric) on the affected wrist or elbow for two weeks. Grip strength was measured by a dynamometer before and after the two-week study.
Findings
For the placebo group, the mean grip strength increased from 47.95 ± 25.14 (baseline) to 51.69 ± 27.35 (final), whereas for the Celliant group, it increased from 46.3 ± 22.02 to 54.1 ± 25.97. The mean per cent increase over the two weeks was +7.8% for placebo and +16.8% for Celliant (p = 0.0372). No adverse effects was observed.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the wide variation in grip strength in the participants at baseline measurement, which meant that only the percentage increase between baseline and final measurements showed a significant difference. Moreover, no subjective measurements of pain or objective neurophysiology testes was done.
Practical implications
Celliant armbands are easy to wear and have not been shown to produce any adverse effects. Therefore, there appears to be no barrier to prevent widespread uptake.
Social implications
IR-emitting textiles have been studied for their beneficial effects, both in patients diagnosed with various disorders and also in healthy volunteers for health and wellness purposes. Although there are many types of textile technology that might be used to produce IR-emitting fabrics, including coating of the fabric with a printed layer of ceramic material, incorporating discs of mineral into the garment, the authors feel that incorporating ceramic particles into the polymer fibers from which the fabric is woven is likely to be the most efficient way of achieving the goal.
Originality/value
Celliant armbands appear to be effective in painful upper limb inflammatory disorders, and further studies are warranted. The mechanism of action is not completely understood, but the hypothesis that the emitted IR radiation is absorbed by nanostructured intracellular water provides some theoretical justification.
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Hsin Hsin Chang, Ching Ying Huang, Chen Su Fu and Ming Tse Hsu
By integrating the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, technology acceptance model (TAM), and social capital theory, the purpose of this paper is to: develop a model of consumer…
Abstract
Purpose
By integrating the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, technology acceptance model (TAM), and social capital theory, the purpose of this paper is to: develop a model of consumer behavior and trial willingness toward nano-foods from product, consumer, and social perspectives; examine the effects of innovative features, consumer characteristics, and trust in authority on subjective perceptions (perceived trustworthiness and perceived benefit) as well as the social influence on attitudes toward nano-foods and trial willingness; examine the moderating role of product uncertainty on the relationship between these characteristics and subjective perceptions; and examine the effect of perceived benefit on perceived trustworthiness.
Design/methodology/approach
The results of the structural equation model (SEM), with nano-food knowledge data collected from 431 respondents, supported the research model and revealed the main effects hypothesized in this study and the moderating effect of product uncertainty. Simple slope analysis was further adopted to test the significant moderating effects.
Findings
The SEM results indicated that innovative characteristics (relative advantage, lack of observability, and novelty), consumer characteristics (perceived technology application), and social characteristics (trust in authority) affect perceived trustworthiness or perceived benefit. Social influence also has a direct effect on attitude toward nano-foods and trial willingness. Product uncertainty significantly moderates the relationship between characteristics (relative advantage and perceived technology application) and subjective perceptions (perceived trustworthiness and perceived benefit).
Research limitations/implications
With increasing numbers and kinds of nanotechnology products now being developed and sold, it is important to go further to determine consumer perceptions and attitudes toward these. This study, thus, applied the DOI, TAM, and social capital theory to examine this issue. However, other theories might also be used to carry out research from other perspectives. This study should, thus, be seen as preliminary, and it is hoped that more works will discuss consumer attitudes toward nanotechnology products in the future.
Practical implications
When a new nano-food is introduced, the current study suggests that food manufacturers use the description on the package as a communicative tool. Detailing the advantages of nano-foods on food packages might be a useful way to enhance trial willingness and to reduce the fears and insecurities related to the use of nano-related products. In addition, if food manufacturers could cooperate with organizations or individuals seen as having some authority in this area (e.g. nanotechnology researchers) in order to disseminate accurate information about nanotechnology and related food products, this might be an effective way to increase sales and profits.
Originality/value
This is the first paper integrating the DOI, the social capital theory and the TAM to empirically investigate consumer willingness to try nano-food products.
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The terms are not synonymous; their differences are mainly of function and areas of administration. Community Health is used in national health service law; environmental health…
Abstract
The terms are not synonymous; their differences are mainly of function and areas of administration. Community Health is used in national health service law; environmental health to describe the residuum of health functions remaining with local authorities after the first NHS/Local Government reorganization of 1974. Previously, they were all embraced in the term public health, known for a century or more, with little attention to divisions and in the field of administration, all local authority between county and district councils. In the dichotomy created by the reorganization, the personal health services, including the ambulance service, may have dove‐tailed into the national health service, but for the remaining functions, there was a situation of unreality, which has persisted. It is difficult to know where community health and environmental health begin and end. From the outside, the unreality may be more apparent than real. The Royal Commission on the NHS in their Report of last year state that leaving environmental health services with local authorities “does not seem to have caused any problems”—and this, despite the disparity in status of the area health authority and the bottom tier, local councils.
Byoungho Jin, Jae-Eun Chung, Heesoon Yang and So Won Jeong
Contrary to the mainstream born global (BG) perspective, some previous studies report the incremental expansion of BGs. In addition, the reasons behind BGs initiating specific…
Abstract
Purpose
Contrary to the mainstream born global (BG) perspective, some previous studies report the incremental expansion of BGs. In addition, the reasons behind BGs initiating specific steps, if any, and BGs’ entry market choices are still unknown or rather contrasting. This study views that such contrasting findings may be attributed to the contexts in which BGs operate. Within the context of consumer goods BGs, the purpose of this paper is to examine the entry market choices and post-entry growth patterns, and investigate the underlying reasons.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted in-depth historiographic case research from seven Korean BGs in the consumer goods sector that demonstrated success in internationalization. Multiple sources were used to gather data from each case. A total of 14 interviews, approximately two one-on-one interviews per firm, were the major means of data collection.
Findings
The findings revealed that first entry market choices among BGs functioned largely as attempts at emergent opportunities. However, after the first wave of entry into countries with available selling opportunities, entry market choice became a simultaneous pursuit of strategic markets and emergent selling opportunities. BGs focusing on image-oriented consumer goods appeared more strategic when entering the world’s leading markets to gain brand reputation. The analyses of internationalization processes revealed three patterns, which collectively implied that each move to the next stage came from a strategic decision to solve the problems related to survival and strategic visions for growth.
Originality/value
One contribution of this paper is the provision of empirical evidence for entry market choices among consumer goods BGs. The findings suggest that BGs’ entry market choices may not be a simple matter of simultaneous expansion to the world’s lead market. Instead, they may comprise more strategic decision. While previous studies have suggested such evolutionary or path-dependent internationalization processes, this study is among the first to reveal specific growth patterns and the possible reasons behind them.
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During the 1920s and 1930s in the colonial city of Seoul, a group of women called the New Women and the Modern Girls expressed their modern identities by wearing different…
Abstract
Purpose
During the 1920s and 1930s in the colonial city of Seoul, a group of women called the New Women and the Modern Girls expressed their modern identities by wearing different clothing, hairstyles and make-up; visiting cafés; viewing Western movies; and consuming other foreign merchandise. While these women were admired by many women as being pioneers of modernity, they were severely criticized by others under the pretext that they indulged their vanity without considering the economy of their families and their colonized nation. These criticisms continue in twenty-first century Korea. Based on the striking similarity between the two eras, an understanding of the consumption and the criticisms of the Modern Girls could provide a historical context for understanding women's experiences in the consumer culture of twenty-first century Korea. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
As secondary sources, literature published in both English and Korean was included. Primary data were obtained from articles in Korean newspapers, magazines and print advertisements from the 1920s and 1930s.
Findings
The New Women and Modern Girls expressed their modern identities by consuming various fashion goods, including Western-style clothes, make-up and various accessories, adopting Western hairstyles and frequenting modern cafés, theaters and department stores. However, their behaviors escaped the boundaries of the “wise mother, good wife” ideology, and they were severely criticized by those adhering to the neo-Confucianism and Korean nationalist ideology that was deeply rooted in Korean society. Thus, the reputations of the Modern Girls were tainted and the individuals were stigmatized.
Originality/value
This research illuminates the negative aspects of self-expressive consumption, showing how individualistic, identity-driven consumption can be stigmatized in the collectivistic culture of Korea that is rooted in neo-Confucian nationalism.
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– The purpose of this paper is to understand Eco-Apparel consumption behavior in consumers who care about the environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand Eco-Apparel consumption behavior in consumers who care about the environment.
Design/methodology/approach
A snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 16 participants for in-depth interviews.
Findings
Two attitude-behavior gaps existed: the gap between environmental attitude and Eco-Apparel purchasing behavior; and the gap between Eco-Apparel attitude and Eco-Apparel purchasing behavior. There were two connections: product and emotional benefits leaded to Eco-Apparel purchasing behavior; and personal cost benefits, emotional benefits, and economic considerations leaded to Eco-Apparel using and disposing behavior. These gaps and connections suggested participants have certain standards regarding Eco-Apparel consumption. First, the standard of purchasing Eco-Apparel was the same as regular apparel. Second, participants did not want to expend much effort. Third, for some participants, emotional benefits (e.g. fun, good feeling, satisfaction) were important.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample size and the snowball sampling technique limit generalization of the study’s findings.
Practical implications
These findings might be of interest to apparel manufacturers and retailers who want to re-enforce consumers’ positive attitudes leading to actual purchase and consumption behaviors.
Originality/value
The current study for the first time examines the attitude-behavior gaps, proposes reasons behind these gaps, as well as connections between benefits and Eco-Apparel usage and disposal behaviors. In addition, the proposed framework is the first attempt to illustrate the relationships among gaps, connections, and consumption standards.
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Arif Billah Dar, Aasif Shah, Niyati Bhanja and Amaresh Samantaraya
The purpose of this paper is to estimate the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates of eight Asian countries. The analysis is based on methodologies that possess the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to estimate the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates of eight Asian countries. The analysis is based on methodologies that possess the ability to provide a complete representation of data series from both time and frequency perspectives simultaneously. In addition, instead of limiting the analysis to focus on the conditional mean of the response variable y in the regression equation, the authors investigate the extremes of distribution to reveal a range of hidden relationships between these variables.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the limitations of classical methodology of Pearson correlation and least-squares regression, this study estimates the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates through wavelet correlation and cross-correlation to serve as a protocol for different traders who view the market with different time resolutions. In addition, quantile regression technique robust to heteroscedasticity, skewness and leptokurtosis is used to understand the relationship between stock prices and a specified quantile of the exchange rates.
Findings
In accordance with the portfolio balance effect, it is observed that stock prices and exchange rates are negatively correlated at all frequencies. In particular, the negative correlation grows with higher time scales (lower frequency intervals). The findings from quantile regression also suggest that the coefficients are more inclined to be negative when exchange rates are extremely high.
Originality value
The paper contributes to the literature by focussing on the multi-scale relationship between stock prices and exchange rates. In addition, it also analyzes the relationship between stock prices and a specified quantile of the exchange rates.
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Rajneesh Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Ravindra Chandra Nautiyal
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the two-dimensional problem in couple stress thermoelastic medium for a half space is established and state space approach has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the two-dimensional problem in couple stress thermoelastic medium for a half space is established and state space approach has been applied to solve the problem.
Design/methodology/approach
Normal mode analysis is used to obtain the exact expressions for normal stress, tangential stress and couple stress. Numerical calculation is prepared for these quantities and depicted graphically for a special model.
Findings
The expressions for normal stress, tangential stress and couple stress are obtained numerically and depicted graphically to see the couple stress effect.
Originality/value
It is found that couple stress effect decrease the value of normal stress components for circular frequency equal to 0.5 for small values of the wave number and then increases whereas the values of normal stress components decrease first and then increase monotonically for circular frequency equal to 0.1 when the force is applied in normal direction and the values of tangential stress components and couple stress components decrease for all values of wave number. But the values for normal stress components, tangential stress components and couple stress components increase when the force is applied in tangential direction.
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