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This paper aims to investigate the in vivo hypocholesterolemic property of fenugreek proteins (FP), Purafect-fenugreek protein hydrolysate (PFPH) and Esperase-fenugreek protein hydrolysate (EFPH) on high cholesterol (HC)-fed rats.

Rats were randomized into five groups: four were fed for four weeks a hypercholesterolemic diet and the tested products were given by gavage. The fifth group was taken as control (C) receiving the same diet without cholesterol.

Results showed that the elevated aspartate aminotransferase activity in HC group plasma was significantly corrected by FP and EFPH administration (−33 per cent; p = 0.0003). HC liver lipids and total cholesterol (TC) contents were not markedly affected by FP and EFPH. However, liver triglycerides (TG) contents trended to decrease in FP rats vs HC (p = 0.07), while, the TG decrease was significant in groups fed the proteins hydrolysates (p = 0.02). On the other hand, serum TC and TG decreased by 53 per cent (p = 0.0003) and 20 per cent (p = 0.04), respectively, in FP treated rats compared to HC group. This decrease was associated with a high fecal cholesterol excretion (2.5-fold higher in FP vs HC; p = 0.0001). Likewise, EFPH-treated rats exhibited lower TC compared to HC rats (p = 0.004). The very low density lipoprotins was the main affected fraction in these two groups, while there were no significant difference in apolipoproteins (Apo) B, A-I and A-IV contents between the different groups, except in FP group, where Apo A-I and A-IV decreased by 26 and 17 per cent, respectively, compared to C rats (p = 0.02). The high density lipoproteins (HDL) of rats treated with proteins hydrolysates showed a better antioxidant property compared to those of HC rats, which was accompanied with an increase in paraoxonase activity when compared to HC group.

Unlike PFPH which had almost no effect, FPs and EFPH could constitute a nutraceutical ingredient in cardiovascular disease management.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the synergistic effects derived from an integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategy with a criterion of strategic consistency in the message between two different communication tools (advertising and sponsorship) compared to a non‐integrated strategy. Specifically, it focuses on the synergistic effects that IMC has on consumer information processing, attitude and recall of the communication campaign.

The study uses the experimental methodology in order to compare two conditions (integrated campaign versus a non‐integrated campaign).

The results of this study show that a strategic consistency‐based integration has more positive effects on information processing, attitude and recall of the communication campaign compared to the non‐integration strategy.

This paper offers empirical evidence that might be useful for advertisers about the increased effectiveness of a strategic consistency‐based integration campaign. Research limitations in this paper provide avenues for future studies in order to validate the effectiveness of this strategic consistency‐based integration in others contexts.

The originality of this research resides in testing the synergistic effects of an IMC strategy by a new experimental methodology to operationalizing the strategic consistency in the message communicated between the two communication tools.

From an integrated marketing communications perspective, this study aims to analyse what level of consistency among brand messages is more effective in terms of customer‐based brand equity. In particular it aims to evaluate its impact on brand knowledge structure, and how brand familiarity moderates this influence.

A sample of 194 subjects participated in a between subjects experiment. An integrated communication campaign composed of two different tools (advertising and nonmonetary promotion) was assessed by individuals. Brand familiarity (familiar brand vs unfamiliar brand) and consistency among messages (high vs moderate) were manipulated to test a set of hypotheses.

Results show that the effectiveness of consistency among messages depends on brand familiarity. For familiar brands moderately consistent messages improve their awareness (recall), enrich their network of associations, and generate more favourable responses and brand attitudes. However, for unfamiliar brands, no significant differences are found between high and moderate levels of consistency, except for brand recall, being higher when highly consistent messages are used.

Limitations of the study are those typically associated with the experimental methodology. Specifically, a single product category and only two communication tools were used in the experiment which may limit the generalisability of the results.

For unfamiliar brands, brand managers should focus on consistent brand messages to build awareness for these unknown brands. By contrast, for familiar brands the goal of the communication strategy must be to revive the interest in them through moderate consistent messages that can excite consumers and make them think again about these brands.

The originality of this study resides in incorporating the newest approach of communication management (integrated marketing communication or IMC) to illustrate how consistency among messages could be used to build the type of brand knowledge structure that nurtures brand equity. Furthermore, compared to previous studies of IMC, which have addressed this issue under a merely conceptual perspective, this paper offers empirical evidences using a more practical perspective and focusing on managing brand knowledge structures as a way for improving brand image.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the circumstances under which the retailers' use of the buying group's brand name may benefit them.

A sample of 121 retailers of home appliances, members of a buying group, provided useful information about the key variables of interest in this study through self‐administered questionnaires. That information was used to test the research model and the hypotheses proposed in the paper.

The data show that the retailer's use of the buying group's brand name is more capable of improving the retailer's economic satisfaction with the buying group when differentiation is perceived to be a source of competitive advantage, when environment is perceived as more dynamic and when the retailer is strategically integrated in the relationship with the buying group.

Sample is restricted to a limited type of retailers: retailers of electric appliances integrated in buying groups.

The implications extracted are of special interest for buying groups managers about the potential of the buying group's brand to generate value to the buying group's members.

Brand equity in business‐to‐business markets is still an under‐researched and very descriptive topic. Specifically, in the context of retailers' buying groups, the issue is completely missing. This paper reflects the current interest in brand research into non‐consumer relations by empirically demonstrating that brand equity is not only useful but also a powerful tool to explain value creation in business relationships.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated conceptual framework showing how corporate brand equity is generated. It builds upon a number of previous studies which have focused upon specific aspects of brand equity and integrates these within a more comprehensive model.

The paper is based upon a review and integration of the corporate branding, consumer psychology and strategy literatures.

The result is the construction of a number of sub‐models and an overall proposed framework which integrates internal and external determinants of consumer‐based corporate brand equity and combines these within a comprehensive framework. The model encompasses internal, company‐determined, variables, a Stimulus‐Organism‐Response model, the stakeholder cognitive perception process, a number of mediating variables such as corporate performance, industry sector and internationality, and the resulting impact upon corporate reputation and brand equity.

From this conceptual paper, further work can be developed for empirical validation.

The paper sets out to integrate academic and practitioner work and both internal (company) dimensions with external (consumer/stakeholder) dimensions.

The originality of the work is that it is both comprehensive and it puts forward an integrative model which goes beyond previous work which has focused upon specific aspects of corporate brand value. It also analyses the links between the different constructs and the directions of causality and influence.

The purpose of this paper is to test the direct effect of the perceived overqualification on the burnout syndrome and the indirect effect through the workers’ autonomous and controlled motivation.

The hypotheses were tested with a sample of 3,256 contact center operators from one Portuguese company and data were analyzed using the software package Mplus to conduct structural equation models.

The results revealed that workers’ perceived overqualification is positively related to burnout and that both autonomous and controlled motivation partially mediates this relationship.

The cross-sectional design should be regarded as a limitation. Moreover, each variable was only assessed with self-reported measures, the sample comprised call center employees from only one company and one country (Portugal), and the workers were all employed in commercial services of telecommunications, energy, banking or insurance companies, which may constrain the generalization of these results.

Workers’ perceived overqualification should be avoided to prevent their burnout. Furthermore, an increase in workers’ skills and competencies, enhanced decision latitude, and the task variety and quality should be crucial for employees to develop more autonomous motivation to work in a contact center and the promotion of their well-being at work. More precisely, as overqualification concerns the employees’ perceptions of surplus education, experience and knowledge, from a practical perspective, enhancing the decision latitude, task variety and quality of these individuals’ work may contribute to decreasing individuals’ perception of overqualification and, therefore, contribute to increasing workers’ autonomous motivations and well-being.

This study provides evidence concerning the mediating role of both workers’ autonomous and controlled motivation to explain the relationship between perceived overqualification and burnout.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the perspectives of public relations professionals against those of the general public in Spain with respect to which communications activities and organizational attributes are relevant to the leadership images of organizations, and what are the characteristics of effective leaders.

This study combines data from the European Communication Monitor (ECM) with the results of a representative online survey carried out by the global market research company IPSOS.

Results show that the general public sees TV interviews as well as TV advertising as communication tools with the biggest potential to shape the leadership image of organizations. When it comes to the attributes of effective leaders, communication professionals overestimate the role of an organization’s vision, while the population much more stresses basic attributes like leading by example and admitting mistakes. PR practitioners underestimate customer service and environmental responsibility and tend to favor more abstract attributes like innovation and CSR.

This paper touches only four sections of the ECM 2014/2015. Participant fatigue may have negatively impacted the quality of the data. A large sample of professionals was approached, but a much small number initiated and completed the online survey. The size of the sample of communication professionals makes it difficult to generalize the results. In addition, future research should extend the study to different groups of stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and suppliers.

While organizations face intensive pressure from evaluation by their stakeholders, discrepancies between the expectations of the general public in regard to leadership negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations in society, as well as CEOs and top executives as leaders. On this regards, getting closer to what the population expects will help to understand and improve leadership perceptions.

Very little work has been done in Spain regarding to leadership in public relations or public relations professional’s perceptions about leadership. Most research published to date has focused on the leader’s position in the company, participation in management levels, types of responsibilities assumed and their relative influence and leadership style. Even fewer public relations studies have tried to identify the communication activities that are relevant to the leadership image of organizations and compare the perspectives of public relations professionals on leadership against those of the general public. This dearth of knowledge about stakeholder expectations negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations and executive leaders in society.

Listening to and conversing with stakeholders has become a basic requirement for the survival of any organization in a society with insistent demands for transparency and dialogue. The purpose of this paper is to examine how Latin American practitioners are using social media for corporate and networking purposes, and their perceptions about which social media activity is more relevant for organizational stakeholders.

A population of 803 public relations professionals from 18 Latin American countries working on different hierarchical levels, both in communication departments and agencies across the region, were surveyed as part of a larger online survey. For this research, five questions about social media usage have been included in the first edition of the Latin American Communication Monitor (LCM) project.

The study shows that despite the massive incorporation of social media into communication strategies of organizations, Latin American professionals report less intensive use of these collaborative channels than do peers in the Asia-Pacific, but they are in line with colleagues from Europe. Practitioners report a cautious optimism on the success achieved in the social media arena, as well as an insignificant use of these tools for professional networking purposes.

This paper touches only four sections of the LCM 2014/2015. Participant fatigue may have negatively impacted the quality of the data. A large sample of professionals was approached, but a much small number initiated and completed the online survey. This resulted in the lack of representation of some countries in the subcontinent. In the future, greater participation is needed to allow for a more comprehensive comparative analysis.

This research provides a more in-depth look at the current state of public relations practice in Latin America and the use of social media channels to communicate with stakeholders. Even if social media continue to create unprecedented opportunities, social media platforms have not been widely adopted by professionals in the region, probably due to the lack of appropriate structures, cultures and strategies for participative modes of social media communication.

This dearth of knowledge about how PR professionals use social media affects the engagement process, and as a result, the reputation, legitimization, satisfaction with and trust in organizations. Without listening carefully to stakeholder needs, satisfying these needs and establishing a real conversation, organizations will not be able to attain the sought-after engagement that leads to a stable and lasting relation with the public.

Although numerous articles on the situation of public relations in different Latin American countries have been published, this research is first attempt to investigate the use of social media channels in the subcontinent through opinions of a representative sample of professionals.

It is well established that greater resilience buffers the negative effects of adverse events and conditions, allowing the affected individual to recover adequately. Resilience is a core trait for public relations practitioners, due to the challenging and pressure-laden nature of their work. However, as an individual-level trait, this phenomenon remains underexplored in the communication field. The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensionality and measurement invariance of the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Connor and Davidson, 2003), evaluate the level of resilience and identify predictors of resilience among Latin American public relations practitioners.

A population of 898 public relations professionals from 18 Latin American countries working on different hierarchical levels, both in communication departments and agencies across the region were surveyed.

CD-RISC global scorings show direct correlations with age, years of experience, type of organization, hierarchy and social media skills. However, education, salary, gender or working in an excellent, successful and influential communication department were not predictors of resilience. Additionally, results provide supporting evidence that the CD-RISC has good psychometric properties and can be used as a reliable and valid tool to assess resilience among Latin American public relations practitioners.

As in any study using self-report measures, the results may have been influenced by participants’ acquiescence and need for social desirability. Greater participation is needed from some countries to allow for a more comprehensive comparative analysis.

Identifying factors that protect against negative outcomes is important for the development of strengths-based approaches that emphasize resilience. Moreover, in predicting the ability to tolerate stress and its negative effects, this study may help in the selection of personnel who will manage tougher job demands.

Research on the concept of resilience has gained substantial momentum over the past decades and has become a multidisciplinary field of research spanning a variety of theoretical and conceptual positions. However, practitioner resilience has not formally addressed in the public relations research, with the sole exception of the qualitative research conducted by Guo and Anderson in 2018 using a critical incident technique approach. This field provides an intriguing context to study resilience because practitioners are regularly engaged in work that may require the ability to “bounce back” from challenging work.

In 1987, the City of Los Angeles instituted the first gang injunction in the country. Gang injunctions are pursued through the civil courts to seriously restrict the activities and movement of suspected gang members and affiliates. People who have been served with a gang injunction are often prohibited from everyday activities, such as wearing sports jerseys, talking to other gang members, and being out in public past curfew, regardless of age. Though often justified by law enforcement as a necessary tool to fight gang violence, we argue that gang injunctions are similar to Slave Codes, Black Codes, and Jim Crow laws, which established a separate system of justice based on race. As such, gang injunctions serve as an extension of an apartheid-like system of justice that seriously limits the life opportunities of people of color within gang injunction territories.

This chapter draws upon the oral histories of people targeted by gang injunction laws within California, paying particular attention to how gang-identified individuals are surveiled, controlled, and confined.

Gang injunctions operate on an apartheid-like justice system that punishes perceived gang members harsher than non-gang members. These laws affirm the legal tactics that maintain racial boundaries and promote a system of justice that mirrors the Black Codes following the end of slavery. The evidence suggests that gang injunctions solely target low-income youth of color, who have been identified as gang members and served with injunctions.

Despite the ubiquity of gang injunctions within California, there is little research on gang injunctions, and even less literature on how these injunctions shape the life course of suspected gang members. We attempt to address this gap in the literature by showing how gang injunctions are not simply about fighting crime, but rather they are a tool used to control and corral communities of color.