Helen Woodruffe‐Burton and Susan Wakenshaw
The research presented in this article aims to extend our understanding of the symbolic and experiential values of shopping through the investigation of consumers' grocery…
Abstract
Purpose
The research presented in this article aims to extend our understanding of the symbolic and experiential values of shopping through the investigation of consumers' grocery shopping and consumption experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach was based on the existential phenomenological interview; ten women living in the UK who were in paid employment outside the home at the time of the study, who were married (or living with their partner) and who had at least one child living at home participated in the study which explored their lived experiences of grocery shopping and consumption.
Findings
The findings reveal that consumers can construct various dimensions and levels of self/identity through their food shopping and consumption practices through their shopping experiences and in conjunction with various resources and support provided by retailers. Four key themes are identified and explored: “I am in control”; “I am me”; “I share and I love”; and “I belong”.
Research limitations/implications
The present study is exploratory in nature; it identifies four key themes which appear significant and provides a starting point for further research.
Originality/value
This paper explores the ways in which shopping confirms consumers' personal identity, social position and social identity and contributes to the literature in two ways: the research extends our understanding of the experiential values of shopping by extending the domain of enquiry from consumers' experiences in‐store to the actual consumption phase and consumers' self identity is investigated through the exploration of individual consumers' lived shopping and consumption experiences from an holistic perspective.
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David C. Bell, John S. Atkinson and Victoria Mosier
Describes how HIV and AIDS are carried and spread, particularly for high‐risk groups, but adds that it is not only behavioural but also those behaviours in conjunction with…
Abstract
Describes how HIV and AIDS are carried and spread, particularly for high‐risk groups, but adds that it is not only behavioural but also those behaviours in conjunction with others. Employs figures and tables for added explanation and emphasis. Chronicles some individual case studies showing different “risk” behaviours and types of “unsafe” practices. Makes clear that the use of varied types of education are of major importance in the fight against ignorance and nonchalance in the battle against AIDS.
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SunWoo Kang and Nadine F. Marks
Guided by a life course theoretical perspective, this study aimed to examine associations between providing caregiving for a young or adult son or daughter with special needs and…
Abstract
Purpose
Guided by a life course theoretical perspective, this study aimed to examine associations between providing caregiving for a young or adult son or daughter with special needs and multiple dimensions of physical health status among married midlife and older adults, as well as moderation of these associations by gender and marital quality (i.e., marital strain).
Method
Regression models were estimated using data from 1,058 married adults aged 33–83 (National Survey of Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS), 2005).
Findings
Parental caregiving for a young or adult child with special needs (in contrast to no caregiving) was linked to poorer global health and more physical symptoms among both fathers and mothers. Father caregivers reported slightly more chronic conditions than noncaregiving men, regardless of marital quality. By contrast, mother caregivers reported a much higher number of chronic conditions when they also reported a high level of marital strain, but not when they reported a low level of marital strain.
Originality/value
Overall, results provide evidence from a national sample that midlife and older parents providing caregiving for a child with special needs are at risk for poorer health outcomes, and further tentatively suggest that greater marital strain may exacerbate health risks, particularly among married mother caregivers.
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In January 2013, small biotechnology firm Orexigen was in the final stages of testing Contrave, a promising new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of obesity. At the time…
Abstract
In January 2013, small biotechnology firm Orexigen was in the final stages of testing Contrave, a promising new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of obesity. At the time, Orexigen had no products in the market, so all its hopes of financial success rested on this new treatment. Contrave had proven to be highly effective in clinical trials, and Orexigen executives were confident it would receive FDA approval.
At the same time, a much larger pharmaceutical company was considering acquiring Orexigen. Because the decision to acquire would ultimately be a financial one, the project team from the large company had to complete a valuation for Orexigen's only significant product in its pipeline, Contrave. What was the new product actually worth?
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Alison L. Booth and Mark L. Bryan
We use new training data from the British Household Panel Survey to explore the degree to which the data are consistent with the predictions of human capital theory. According to…
Abstract
We use new training data from the British Household Panel Survey to explore the degree to which the data are consistent with the predictions of human capital theory. According to the raw data, most work-related training is general and is paid for by employers. Our fixed effects estimates reveal that employer-financed training is associated with higher wages both in the current and future firms, with some evidence that the impact in future firms is larger. These results are consistent with human capital theory with credit constraints, and with the relatively recent literature on training in imperfectly competitive labour markets.
Mark Booth, Phil James and Vladimir Stevanovic
The aim of the study is to examine the feasibility of comparing hospitals internationally and to highlight some of the barriers.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study is to examine the feasibility of comparing hospitals internationally and to highlight some of the barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
Comparative analysis of anonymised patient‐level data from hospitals in New Zealand and the UK.
Findings
Comparisons were made of aggregate statistics. For example, it was found that average length of stay and death rates in New Zealand were lower than in the UK, although average severity was higher. Adverse reactions were higher in the New Zealand sample than in that of the UK.
Research limitations/implications
There were data limitations associated with different coding conventions in the two countries. There may also be different coding conventions used when classifying data. The research attempted to correct for this, but some may remain.
Originality/value
There are few cross‐national comparisons of hospital performance. This paper shows that such analysis is possible. It is hoped that further effort can be put into addressing some of the data issues described above to further refine the results.
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Solomon W. Polachek and Oliver Bargain
Understanding how worker well-being is distributed across the population is of paramount importance. With such knowledge policy makers can devise efficient strategies to improve…
Abstract
Understanding how worker well-being is distributed across the population is of paramount importance. With such knowledge policy makers can devise efficient strategies to improve social welfare. This volume contains 13 chapters on topics enhancing our comprehension of inequality across workers. The issues addressed deal directly with the economic institutions that affect individual and family earnings distributions. The themes explored include job training, worker and firm mobility, minimum wages, wage arrears, unions, collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, and schooling. Among the questions answered are: To what extent do greater work hours of women mitigate the widening family earnings distribution? To what extent does deunionization widen the distribution of earnings? Do computers really cause a widening of the earnings distribution? How would the Russian wage distribution change if one accounted for wage arrears? How much of job creation and job destruction comes about because of business relocation? To what extent does maternal education increase children's education? Why do increases in the minimum wage fail to substantially decrease employment as economic theory would predict? And, to what extent do job skills matter for low-income workers?
Purpose – Present a history of interaction (1947–1996) between a remote nonmarket rural economy in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlands and capitalism, first via colonialism and…
Abstract
Purpose – Present a history of interaction (1947–1996) between a remote nonmarket rural economy in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlands and capitalism, first via colonialism and then in the post-Independence period. The Irakia Awa sought to create an alternative local version of modernity in a context of limited opportunities for participation in the monetized market economy.Design/methodology/approach – Ethnographic, multi-temporal field research, totaling two years in residence, focused on sociocultural changes associated with reallocations of land and labor to cash-cropping (coffee), wage labor migration, and new place-based cash-generating initiatives.Findings – After more than three decades of intensive participation in labor migration, the most lucrative option available for earning cash, Irakians deemed it futile, as well as detrimental to the overall well-being of their home community. They dramatically reduced labor migration levels, increased smallholder coffee production, and set about creating a more modern and inviting village lifestyle.Research limitations/implications – This is the historical experience of one rural community in the remote PNG highlands up to the mid-1990s, but is framed around ongoing issues confronting many rural communities engaging with capitalism in PNG.Originality/value – This account presents original field research and contributes to the growing literature on PNG rural peoples with limited opportunities to participate in the cash market economy within a larger context of government policies and malfeasance that have rendered many rural communities largely “invisible.” It suggests substantial reforms are needed before all citizens can enjoy benefits from engaging with capitalism.
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Srinath Gopalakrishna, Catherine A. Roster and Shrihari Sridhar
Although trade shows are a significant part of the B2B communications mix, academic research in the area is sparse. To successfully manage this medium, a careful understanding of…
Abstract
Purpose
Although trade shows are a significant part of the B2B communications mix, academic research in the area is sparse. To successfully manage this medium, a careful understanding of attendee behavior on the trade show floor is necessary. Drawing from the rich literature on shopper typologies in retailing (which parallels the trade show atmosphere), this paper sets out to develop a set of attendee metrics that show organizers can track regularly.
Design/methodology/approach
Through latent class clustering on unique attendee‐level data from a popular computer trade show, five segments of attendee activity are uncovered that differ along dimensions such as the attendee's involvement and focus and the exhibitor's booth size, booth accessibility, and product display.
Findings
Significant heterogeneity is found in attendee activities on the show floor. There are interesting similarities and differences between the retail and B2B shopper. Implications for trade show organizers and exhibitors are discussed and directions for future research suggested.
Originality/value
Since the data employed are becoming more readily available, the hope is that managers and academic researchers might find the suggested metrics and segmentation approach useful in advancing a deeper understanding of the trade show attendee.