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This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/eb008104. When citing the article, please cite: G. Ray Funkhouser, (1984), “USING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS AS AN INPUT TO PRICING DECISIONS”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 1 Iss: 3, pp. 35 - 41.

The purpose of this article is to propose a new framework for examining the relationship between the consumer and the product, focusing not on the benefits the consumer seeks to maximize, but on the other side of the ledger—the costs the consumer seeks to minimize. These costs tend to fall into the same categories of costs faced by other participants in the distribution channel. By conceptualizing the consumer as an active channel member, rather than as a passive recipient of products and services, we are able to present a systematic matrix of the total costs that consumers may weigh against benefits in their shopping, purchasing, and use decisions. On the basis of this framework, we suggest ways in which product and / or channel designers can improve their performance through deeper insights into consumers' cost tradeoffs.

Marketing textbooks tend to follow economic theory in their discussions of pricing, but in the real world pricing is an alchemical mixture of costs, competition and consumer psychology. This paper presents experimental evidence that, for at least some purchase situations, consumers' expectations of what a thing ought to cost may be a better predictor of choice between offerings than are the predictions from two well‐known theories relating price to consumer behavior. The paper discusses sources of consumer price expectations and ways they are influenced, and it suggests how to improve profits by basing prices on consumers' expectations.

In the process of robot shell design, it is necessary to match the shape of the input 3D original character mesh model and robot endoskeleton, in order to make the input model fit for robot and avoid collision. So, the purpose of this paper is to find an object of reference, which can be used for the process of shape matching.

In this work, the authors propose an interior bounded box (IBB) approach that derives from oriented bounding box (OBB). This kind of box is inside the closed mesh model. At the same time, it has maximum volume which is aligned with the object axis but is enclosed by all the mesh vertices. Based on the IBB of input mesh model and the OBB of robot endoskeleton, the authors can complete the process of shape matching. In this paper, the authors use an evolutionary algorithm, covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES), to approximate the IBB based on skeleton and symmetry of input character mesh model.

Based on the evolutionary algorithm CMA-ES, the optimal position and scale information of IBB can be found. The authors can obtain satisfactory IBB result after this optimization process. The output IBB has maximum volume and is enveloped by the input character mesh model as well.

To the best knowledge of the authors, the IBB is first proposed and used in the field of robot shell design. Taking advantage of the IBB, people can quickly obtain a shell model that fit for robot. At the same time, it can avoid collision between shell model and the robot endoskeleton.

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts. The selected bibliography is useful to efficiently keep up with trends in library instruction for busy practitioners, library science students and those wishing to learn about information literacy in other contexts.

This article annotates 424 English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, theses and reports on library instruction and information literacy published in 2021. The sources were selected from the EBSCO platform for Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and WorldCat, published in 2021 that included the terms “information literacy,” “library instruction,” or “information fluency” in the title, abstract or keywords. The sources were organized in Zotero. Annotations summarize the source, focusing on the findings or implications. Each source was categorized into one of seven pre-determined categories: K-12 Education, Children and Adolescents; Academic and Professional Programs; Everyday Life, Community, and the Workplace; Libraries and Health Information Literacy; Multiple Library Types; and Other Information Literacy Research and Theory.

The paper provides a brief description of 424 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy within 2021.

MAGNESIUM AND ALUMINIUM Effect of RH of air on hydrogen peroxide formation in atmospheric corrosion. Means are described for maintaining a constant relative humidity of the air by providing at the bottom of the containers in which the tests are made NaOH solutions of definite concentration, in connection with which graphs were constructed showing relation between r.h. and NaOH concentrations, e.g. with r.h. of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90%. The photographic method was used for determining the relation between amount of metal removed or separating in atmospheric corrosion through hydrogen peroxide and r.h. Spectroscopically pure Al was used for test (Si 0.0016, Fe 0.0016, Cu 0.001%); also Mg (Fe 0.004, Si 0.009, Mn 0.0021%), in an atmosphere to which no aggressive media were added. Iso‐orthochromatic reproducing supercontrasting photographic plate was used of 1.4 sensitivity (Russian standard, G.O.S.T.). It had been found in earlier Russian work (I. L. Roikh, etc., Dokl. A.N., 1953–54) that the photographic response of metals is associated with the separation of H2O2 in atmospheric corrosion. Subsequent research revealed an actual linear relation between weight and thickness of the oxide film and separating H2O2 in the atmospheric corrosion of Al and Mg. With variation in r.h. from 0 to 90% there was linear relation between this content and separation of H2O2 in the atmosphere. The kinetics of separation of H2O2 by Mg and Al was studied during the first 6 hr. of atmospheric oxidation with r.h. of 0 to 60%. Fifteen references.—(I. L. Roikh and D. M. Rafalovich, Zh. prikl. Khim, 1961, (4), 864–870.)

A core challenge in background subtraction (BGS) is handling videos with sudden illumination changes in consecutive frames. In our pilot study published in, Sakkos:SKIMA 2019, we tackle the problem from a data point-of-view using data augmentation. Our method performs data augmentation that not only creates endless data on the fly but also features semantic transformations of illumination which enhance the generalisation of the model.

In our pilot study published in SKIMA 2019, the proposed framework successfully simulates flashes and shadows by applying the Euclidean distance transform over a binary mask generated randomly. In this paper, we further enhance the data augmentation framework by proposing new variations in image appearance both locally and globally.

Experimental results demonstrate the contribution of the synthetics in the ability of the models to perform BGS even when significant illumination changes take place.

Such data augmentation allows us to effectively train an illumination-invariant deep learning model for BGS. We further propose a post-processing method that removes noise from the output binary map of segmentation, resulting in a cleaner, more accurate segmentation map that can generalise to multiple scenes of different conditions. We show that it is possible to train deep learning models even with very limited training samples. The source code of the project is made publicly available at https://github.com/dksakkos/illumination_augmentation

The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on the category, quantity and quality of voluntary employee-related information Australian listed companies disclose in their annual report. An explanation is also sought to determine whether companies adopt employee-related disclosures to legitimise their relationship with society. Voluntary adoption of corporate governance best practice recommendations is used as a measure of companies' attempts to attain ex ante legitimacy. Media agenda setting theory is used as a measure of an attempt to gain legitimacy ex post following adverse publicity from the media.

The annual reports of all companies with at least one employee listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with a 30th June balance date of 2004 are examined to identify employee-related disclosures. This employee-related information is categorised and identified as positive, negative or a combination of positive and negative information by three independent coders. Ordinary least squares regression is used to explain the quantity of disclosure with a corporate governance score and number of adverse newspaper articles included as experimental variables.

Adopting voluntary corporate governance mechanisms is associated with the quantity of voluntary annual report employee-related disclosures. Higher levels of adverse publicity are also significantly associated with higher quantities of employee-related disclosures. The quality of these disclosures is questioned because 124 companies had adverse publicity relating to employees and only two of these companies reported any negative employee-related disclosures. Few companies from the whole sample reported any negative information relating to their employees in their annual report, with 98 per cent of companies reporting positive news or no news.

Most previous social responsibility research has focused on environmental disclosures. This study is original because it focuses on employee-related disclosures. Honest, transparent employee disclosures are an international corporate governance recommendation by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and studies have not previously tested the relation between reporting recommended corporate governance mechanisms and employee-related disclosures in annual reports.

This monograph is the consequence of a variety of experiences. It reflects an interest in SMEs and entrepreneurship stretching back almost 17 years from the author’s days in the fresh food industry. It reflects knowledge from a series of studies and projects in which the author has been engaged since commencement of an academic career in 1990. In particular, it reflects the findings of a five‐year piece of doctoral research that the author conducted with 57 firms in Ireland and the UK between 1995‐1999. The study seeks to identify the key determinants of SME marketing activity. The research objectives focused on determining a framework of marketing competencies for SMEs, the extent of formal marketing processes practised, and how SME marketing decisions are made. Further research objectives emerged (these were inductive in nature) that focused on determining the extent of the sales orientation in SMEs and on gaining insights into the use and character of the contact networks of the individuals who manage such enterprises. A syncretised qualitative methodology was developed for the study. The research approach was both deductive and inductive. The analytical strategy adopted a range of tools but was predominantly characterised by data reduction through detailed coding and the development of strict frameworks for analysis. The findings identified a spectrum of marketing competencies for SMEs. It existed at three levels – foundation, transitional and operational. It was shown that the sales orientation of SMEs is what determines their marketing character. A core spectrum of SME sales competencies was identified. It showed significant overlap with the marketing competency spectrum. It was concluded that, since the sales orientation determines the marketing competencies, it also shapes the marketing character of SMEs. The sample firms engaged in significant formal marketing practice, most notably marketing planning. Marketing practice and decisions were characterised by significant usage of personal contact networks. Contact networks were also rooted in a strong sales orientation. It was clear that many marketing decisions that are ostensibly operational in character become strategic or eventually effect strategic change in the marketing practices of SMEs. A holistic model of SME marketing was developed. The model is an integrated complex of the elements of SME marketing examined. Whilst the holistic model developed is entrepreneurial in character, it depicts the SME as a much more sophisticated marketing entity than has been suggested in any previous research.

Hype about information and communication technology (ICT) emphasizes potential positive outcomes; while enabling factors are under‐emphasized and potential negative outcomes are excluded. The purpose of this paper is to broaden the framing of ICT to include enabling factors and potential negative outcomes.

The paper takes the form of a critical realist study. Critical realist research seeks to improve understanding of causal mechanisms and causal contexts.

Comprehensive enablers for decision making include balanced unambiguous information; specific trustworthy communication; quiet sufficient decision spaces; and independent engaged decision makers. The introduction of a new ICT can make a contribution to, and/or detract from, realization of these principal enabling factors.

In this paper ICT is positioned within a preliminary comprehensive framing of enabling factors for decision making. ICT is used for other purposes. Nonetheless, the positioning of ICT in a preliminary comprehensive framing for decision making support reveals how hype about ICT can be mediated by consideration of enabling factors and potential negative outcomes.

The broader framing of enabling factors can provide a starting point for managers to undertake comprehensive improvement of information, communication, and contexts for decision making.

The originality of this paper is that it applies critical realism to mediate hype about ICTs that could be used to support decision making. The value of this paper is that it provides a detailed description of inter‐related factors that need to be managed in decision making support.