Katarina L. Matthes, Christine A. Zuberbuehler, Sabine Rohrmann, Christina Hartmann, Michael Siegrist, Michel Burnier, Murielle Bochud, Marcel Zwahlen, Nicole Bender and Kaspar Staub
Cross-cultural studies on differences in eating and consumer behavior have several limitations due to differences between countries, for example, in national health policies…
Abstract
Purpose
Cross-cultural studies on differences in eating and consumer behavior have several limitations due to differences between countries, for example, in national health policies. Switzerland combines cultural diversity between the language regions, but with a common national health policy. Therefore, Switzerland provides an ideal framework to investigate cross-cultural eating and consumer behavior. The aim of this study was to combine food consumption, purchase data and sales data to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of cultural dietary differences.
Design/methodology/approach
Six national Swiss studies on food consumption, one study of food sales from the largest supermarket chain in Switzerland and one national study of food purchasing were included. The estimated marginal mean of each food category in each language region was calculated using linear regression and respective linear random effect models.
Findings
In the French- and Italian-speaking regions more fish was sold, bought and consumed than in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. In contrast, in the German-speaking region, more milk and dairy products were sold, bought and consumed. Language regions explained sales, purchase and consumption of foods, but the findings were only consistent for fish and milk and dairy products.
Originality/value
If possible limitations of cross-culture studies between countries are eliminated, cultural eating and consumer differences are still visible, even in a small country like Switzerland. For the first time, the complexity of studying food consumption, purchasing and sales is shown in one study. This indicates the importance of further studies which consider these three perspectives to better understand cultural differences in eating and consumption behavior.
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Casey Pennington, Karen Wohlwend, Summer J. Davis and Jill Allison Scott
This paper aims to examine tensions around play, performance and artmaking as becoming in the mix of expected and taken-for-granted discourses implicit in an after-school ceramics…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine tensions around play, performance and artmaking as becoming in the mix of expected and taken-for-granted discourses implicit in an after-school ceramics makerspace (Perry and Medina, 2011). The authors look closely at one adolescent girl’s embodied performance to see how it ruptures the scripts for compliant bodies in the after-school program. While these performances take place out-of-school and in an arts studio, the tensions and explorations also resonate with broader issues around student embodied, performative and becomings that run counter to normalized school expectations.
Design/methodology/approach
A contemporary approach to nexus analysis (Medina and Wohlwend, 2014; Wohlwend, 2021) unpacked two critical performative encounters (Medina and Perry, 2011) using concepts of historical bodies (Scollon and Scollon, 2004) informed by sociomaterial thing-power (Bennett, 2010).
Findings
Playing while painting pottery collides and converges with the tacitly desired and expected ways of embodying student in this after-school artspace. Emily’s outer-space alien persona ruptured expected discourses when her historical body and embodied performances threatened other children. While her embodied performances facilitated her becoming a fully present participant in the studio, she fractured the line between play and reality in violent ways.
Originality/value
As literacy researchers, the authors are in a moment of reckoning where student embodied performances and historical bodies can collide with all-too-real violent threats in daily lives and community locations. Situating these performances in the nexus of embodied literacies, unsanctioned play and thing-power can help educators respond to these moments as ruptures of tacit expectations for girlhoods in school-like spaces.
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Adolescence is a period of new experiences, including dating. Romantic relationships can be a source of stress; one-third of teens experience dating violence (Molidor & Tolman…
Abstract
Purpose
Adolescence is a period of new experiences, including dating. Romantic relationships can be a source of stress; one-third of teens experience dating violence (Molidor & Tolman, 1998; Straus, 2004). Teens are also at a heightened risk for suicide; it is the third leading cause of death among teens (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2013a). Suicidal ideation, threats, and attempts occur within the context of a relationship where there is also dating violence (Chan, Straus, Brownridge, Tiwari, & Leung, 2008; Else, Goebert, Bell, Carlton, & Fukuda, 2009). Due to life course, adolescence may not have knowledge, experience, or skills to manage these situations. Furthermore, these experiences may shape romantic relationship expectations as adults. Both dating violence and suicidality have short- and long-term effects (for example, see Castellví et al., 2017; Coker et al., 2000; Exner-Cortens, Eckenrode, & Rothman, 2013; Holmes & Sher, 2013; Jouriles, Garrido, Rosenfield, & McDonald, 2009; Magdol et al., 1997; Zaha, Helm, Baker, & Hayes, 2013). However, little is known about how young women that experience teen dating violence and partner suicidality respond (except, see Baker, Helm, Bifulco, & Chung-Do, 2015). This study seeks to explore this gap.
Methodology/approach
As part of a larger study, 16 young women who had experienced a “bad dating relationship” as a teenager also disclosed that their boyfriends had threatened suicide. These young women completed in-depth, retrospective interviews to discuss their experiences. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using HyperResearch. Life course and grounded theory guided this research.
Findings
The young women that experienced suicidal threats by their dating partners were also victims of a range of abusive behaviors in their dating relationships, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuses and controlling behaviors. The young women struggled with how to deal with the suicidal ideation and the abuse concurrently. Some of the young women believed that the threats of suicide were real, and had concerns for their boyfriends’ well-being. Others believed that their boyfriend was using this as a manipulative tactic to get them the stay in the unhealthy relationship. This impacted how young women dealt with and reacted to the abuse, including if they chose to stay in the relationship or not.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides narratives from young women in relationships where there is dating violence and threats of suicide, which adds to our understanding of the dynamics of how life course impacts both dating violence and suicide. The sample is small and not generalizable. Future research should include both partners to provide a more holistic picture of the relationship. Additional research should also examine any differences of experiences based on gender, race and ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation.
Practical and social implications
This has serious implications for prevention education and intervention. Policy-makers may want to consider: (1) mandating additional training for teachers and other adults that work with teens, in order to identify warning signs of both dating violence and suicidal ideation, (2) require education for teens on these topics, and (3) ensure evidenced-based interventions are accessible to teens dealing with these issues.
Originality/value
This paper provides a deeper understanding of teen experiences with suicidal threats and how they respond to them within the context of an abusive dating relationship. Policy-makers, advocates, school personnel, and youth may benefit from these findings, particularly in regard to developing appropriate prevention education and interventions.
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Abstract
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Billy Sung, Nicole Hartley, Eric Vanman and Reyhane Hooshmand
The paper aims to examine whether (1) deviation of design (i.e. objective design newness) is distinct to consumers' perception of design newness (i.e. subjective design newness…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine whether (1) deviation of design (i.e. objective design newness) is distinct to consumers' perception of design newness (i.e. subjective design newness) and (2) subjective design newness rather than objective design newness evokes the emotion of interest and enhances product evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
In total five sets of quasi-experiments were conducted on the natural manipulations of design newness. Specifically, the first four studies examine consumers' perception of design newness, feeling-of-interest and product evaluation toward old and new Apple's iOS (i.e., iPhone OS) icons when a new Apple's iOS is released. The fifth study generalized the findings to the new design of XiaoMi MiPhone.
Findings
Across five quasi-experimental studies, the authors found that (1) consumers do not necessarily perceive an objectively new design to be subjectively new; (2) subjective design newness, but not objective design newness, evokes interest and (3) interest, in turn, enhances product evaluation and behavioral intention toward an innovation.
Research limitations/implications
The current finding extended the current literature on design newness by demonstrating that subjective (vs objective) design newness provides a more holistic account of consumers' interest and positive product evaluation toward the innovations.
Practical implications
The research showed that simply updating or altering the design of a product does not evoke consumers' perception of design newness and positive product evaluation. Instead, designer and managers must explore ways to evoke consumers' perception of novelty, complexity, unfamiliarity, atypicality and difference. Furthermore, the current finding demonstrated that subjective design newness can be used to evoke consumer interest and, therefore, result in positive purchase evaluation.
Originality/value
The current research is the first to examine (1) the difference between objective and subjective design newness, (2) the emotional response toward design newness and (3) the emotion of interest as a mediator that explain the strong relationship between design newness and positive product evaluation.
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Nicola Cobelli and Emanuele Blasioli
The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management. Furthermore, this study aims to provide an overview of the existing resources in healthcare management and education and other developing interdisciplinary fields.
Design/methodology/approach
This work uses bibliometric analysis to conduct a comprehensive review to map the use of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) research models in healthcare academic studies. Bibliometric studies are considered an important tool to evaluate research studies and to gain a comprehensive view of the state of the art.
Findings
Although UTAUT dates to 2003, our bibliometric analysis reveals that only since 2016 has the model, together with UTAUT2 (2012), had relevant application in the literature. Nonetheless, studies have shown that UTAUT and UTAUT2 are particularly suitable for understanding the reasons that underlie the adoption and non-adoption choices of eHealth services. Further, this study highlights the lack of a multidisciplinary approach in the implementation of eHealth services. Equally significant is the fact that many studies have focused on the acceptance and the adoption of eHealth services by end users, whereas very few have focused on the level of acceptance of healthcare professionals.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to conduct a bibliometric analysis of technology acceptance and adoption by using advanced tools that were conceived specifically for this purpose. In addition, the examination was not limited to a certain era and aimed to give a worldwide overview of eHealth service acceptance and adoption.
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Christian Espinosa-Méndez and Alejandra Inostroza Correa
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how chief executive officer (CEO) gender relates to financial performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a Latin American…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how chief executive officer (CEO) gender relates to financial performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a Latin American emerging economy like Chile.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply a questionnaire on a sample of 188 SMEs in Chile in 2017. The authors apply multiple ordinary least squares regression models to test the effects of CEO gender on SME performance using the industry location indicators to account for unobserved heterogeneity in the sample. As a robustness test the authors use hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
The authors find a positive relationship between the presence of female CEOs and firm performance. Then, when probing whether the sociodemographic characteristics of the CEO are related to firm performance or moderate the gender-performance relationship, the authors do not find statistically significant evidence that these types of characteristics affect the performance of SMEs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate the relationship between CEO gender and financial performance of SMEs in an emerging Latin American economy. The study contributes to the general literature by reporting comparable evidence with studies in developed economies.
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Small privately held firms extensively use debt provided by principal owners and households (inside-debt) as an alternative capital source to straight equity capital. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Small privately held firms extensively use debt provided by principal owners and households (inside-debt) as an alternative capital source to straight equity capital. The purpose of the research study is to investigate inside-debt-bankruptcy relations.
Design/methodology/approach
Inside-debt-bankruptcy relation is tested on three prominent bankruptcy prediction models using correlation and logit regression analysis. Sample consists of 314 Estonian small firms. Financial reports of 2007 are modelled against bankruptcies declared in 2009.
Findings
Results imply that users of inside-debt are less profitable; they have weaker liquidity position and less retained earnings. Leverage is not found to be significant determinant between inside-debt users and non-users. Fundamental finding of the study suggests that the use of inside-debt is significantly and positively related to bankruptcy probability. While inside-debt carries no risk elements per se, findings are robust to indicate that the use of inside-debt has significant power to signal for increasing bankruptcy risk and as such, reducing information asymmetry of small firms.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to single country data. Bankruptcy data fall to the period of economical recession. It is suggested to repeat the study in a normal economical situation and to extend sample size over different countries.
Practical implications
Findings contribute to the understanding of firms' financial risk, firm behaviour and capital structure development. In a lending industry, results shall supplement to prudent credit risk assessment techniques and design of bankruptcy models in general.
Originality/value
To the author's best knowledge, inside-debt-bankruptcy relation is not studied so far in the existing academic literature.
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M. Alejandra Inostroza and Christian Espinosa-Méndez
In this paper the authors study how sociodemographic characteristics and personality traits of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) impact financial performance in small and medium…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper the authors study how sociodemographic characteristics and personality traits of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) impact financial performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in an emerging economy such as Chile.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied a questionnaire to 185 Chilean SME CEOs during 2017 concerning sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, experience and marital status), personality traits (extraversion, responsibility, openness to experience, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and firm characteristics.
Findings
The authors find that some sociodemographic characteristics (gender and age) significantly impact SME performance. The authors find no significant connection between personality traits and firm performance.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the business literature by investigating how sociodemographic variables and personality traits of the CEO are related to SME financial performance; by providing new evidence on the relationship between CEO characteristics and firm performance, mostly centered on developed economies, in the context of an emerging economy; and allowing for a better understanding of how CEO decisions impact firm performance.
Objetivo
Este artículo estudia cómo las características sociodemográficas y los rasgos de personalidad del gerente general (CEO) afectan el desempeño financiero de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (PYMEs) en una economía emergente como Chile.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Se aplicó un cuestionario a 185 gerentes generales de PYMEs chilenas en 2017 acerca de sus características sociodemográficas (género, edad, experiencia, estado civil), rasgos de personalidad (extraversión, responsabilidad, apertura a la experiencia, amabilidad y neuroticismo) y características de la empresa.
Resultados
Se encontró que ciertas características sociodemográficas (género, edad) afectan significativamente el desempeño de las PYMEs. No se encontraron asociaciones significativas entre rasgos de personalidad y desempeño de la empresa.
Originalidad/valor
Este trabajo contribuye a la literatura de negocios al investigar cómo las variables sociodemográficas y los rasgos de personalidad del gerente general se relacionan con el desempeño financiero de las PYMEs; al entregar nueva evidencia sobre la relación entre características del gerente general y el desempeño de la empresa, mayoritariamente centrada en economías desarrolladas, en el contexto de una economía emergente; y al permitir una mejor comprensión de cómo las decisiones del gerente general afectan el desempeño de las empresas.