Gifts, emotions and cognitive processes: an inquiry of gift receiving from a consumer psychology perspective

Gift exchange is a universal, social, cultural, and economic phenomenon. Over the past 90 years, it has fascinated scholars from different disciplines within the social sciences thanks to its diffusion across societies and centuries. Since Marcel Mauss' foundational paper (1925), scholars have agreed on the social integrative function of gifts, which are tools to build and maintain relationships. Giving gifts generates a virtuous circle of reciprocity, within which gifts are exchanged to attain a balanced reciprocity between the parties. Gifts are also intrinsically associated with identity definition and influence recipients' and givers' self-view. Above all, the gift is a symbolic communication, "a language that employs objects instead of words as its lexical elements" (Caplow, 1984, p. 1320), by which the giver communicates a variety of meanings, such as affection for the recipient, image of the recipient, or intention with regard to the relationship with the recipient

Experimental evidence of unethical gift reconstruction in consumer moral reasoning

There are empirical evidences that consumers do not walk the talk. Although they express a preference for ethical products, they often consume indifferently. Nonetheless, we know little about the factors that facilitate unethical consumption. This article uses the experimental method to investigate the unethical consumption in the gifting experience context and the impact of psychological distance. An exploratory study shows that consumers are willing to accept morally questionable gifts in order to not hurt the giver. Moreover, two experiments demonstrate that consumers are a. eager to accept an unethical gifted product and b. they cognitively reconstruct it as less unethical. However, the unethical gift cannot be reconciled from an emotional standpoint, resulting in an emotional misalignment. The recipient feels guilty about the decision, especially if the product is sourced locally. Several theoretical and managerial contributions are derived from this study’s findings

The curious case of the refrigerator-TV: similarity and hybridization

This paper examines the role of similarity in the hybridization of concepts, focusing on hybrid products as an applied test case. Hybrid concepts found in natural language, such as singer songwriter, typically combine similar concepts, whereas dissimilar concepts rarely form hybrids. The hybridization of dissimilar concepts in products such as jogging shoe mp3 player, and refrigerator TV thus poses a challenge for understanding the process of conceptual combination. It is proposed that models of conceptual combination can throw light on the judged future success and desirability of hybrid products in general. The composite prototype model proposes two stages of conceptual combination. In the first stage, the concepts are aggregated into an additive hybrid, simply by forming the union of the two sets of attributes. In the second stage, any conflicting attributes are identified and resolved, often with the introduction of emergent attributes, resulting in an integrative hybrid. Across four studies that varied the similarity and type of hybrid products, similar and integrative hybrids were valued more than dissimilar and additive hybrids. Critically, though, dissimilar hybrids were also highly valued if they were integrative. Results supported the two stages proposed by the composite prototype model, and implications for other models of hybrid formation are discussed

Modulation of taxonomic (versus thematic) similarity judgments and product choices by inducing local and global processing

Perceived similarity is influenced by both taxonomic and thematic relations. Assessing taxonomic relations requires comparing individual features of objects whereas assessing thematic relations requires exploring how objects functionally interact. These processes appear to relate to different thinking styles: abstract thinking and a global focus may be required to explore functional interactions whereas attention to detail and a local focus may be required to compare specific features. In four experiments we explored this idea by assessing whether a preference for taxonomic or thematic relations could be created by inducing a local or global perceptual processing style. Experiments 1–3 primed processing style via a perceptual task and used a choice task to examine preference for taxonomic (versus thematic) relations. Experiment 4 induced processing style and examined the effect on similarity ratings for pairs of taxonomic and thematically related items. In all cases processing style influenced preference for taxonomic/thematic relations

Non-Universal Critical Behaviour of Two-Dimensional Ising Systems

Two conditions are derived for Ising models to show non-universal critical behaviour, namely conditions concerning 1) logarithmic singularity of the specific heat and 2) degeneracy of the ground state. These conditions are satisfied with the eight-vertex model, the Ashkin-Teller model, some Ising models with short- or long-range interactions and even Ising systems without the translational or the rotational invariance.Comment: 17 page

Competitividade do açúcar brasileiro no mercado internacional

The study objectifies, by means of a group of indicators, to evaluate the competitiveness of the Brazilian sugar in the international trade. The indicator market-share evidenced its significant importance, considering that Brazil was responsible for 40,61% of the sugar commercialized in the international market in 2005. About the competitiveness front to other countries and other products, the indicator relative advantage in the export also discloses the advantage competitive of the Brazilian sugar. As for participation of the sugar in the total of the Brazilian exportations, the growth is substantial, having increased its representation in 95% in the analyzed period. The participation of the commercial balance of the sugar in the GIP Brazilian agricultural also was increasing in the analyzed period, considering that in 1994 the sugar represented less than 1% of the GIP agricultural and arrived to represent 3.53%, in 2002. These data ratify the importance of the Brazilian sugar in the generation of income and detach its increasing competitive advantage before the too much producing and exporting countries.Competitiveness, Sugar, Exportations, International Relations/Trade,

Training the workforce in evidence-based public health: An evaluation of impact among US and international practitioners

INTRODUCTION: The Prevention Research Center in St. Louis developed a course on evidence-based public health in 1997 to train the public health workforce in implementation of evidence-based public health. The objective of this study was to assess use and benefits of the course and identify barriers to using evidence-based public health skills as well as ways to improve the course. METHODS: We used a mixed-method design incorporating on-site pre- and post-evaluations among US and international course participants who attended from 2008 through 2011 and web-based follow-up surveys among course participants who attended from 2005 through 2011 (n = 626). Respondents included managers, specialists, and academics at state health departments, local health departments, universities, and national/regional health departments. RESULTS: We found significant improvement from pre- to post-evaluation for 11 measures of knowledge, skill, and ability. Follow-up survey results showed at least quarterly use of course skills in most categories, majority endorsement of most course benefits, and lack of funding and coworkers who do not have evidence-based public health training as the most significant barriers to implementation of evidence-based public health. Respondents suggested ways to increase evidence-based decision making at their organization, focusing on organizational support and continued access to training. CONCLUSION: Although the evidence-based public health course is effective in improving self-reported measures of knowledge, skill, and ability, barriers remain to the implementation of evidence-based decision making, demonstrating the importance of continuing to offer and expand training in evidence-based public health

Toward optimal implementation of cancer prevention and control programs in public health: A study protocol on mis-implementation

Abstract Background Much of the cancer burden in the USA is preventable, through application of existing knowledge. State-level funders and public health practitioners are in ideal positions to affect programs and policies related to cancer control. Mis-implementation refers to ending effective programs and policies prematurely or continuing ineffective ones. Greater attention to mis-implementation should lead to use of effective interventions and more efficient expenditure of resources, which in the long term, will lead to more positive cancer outcomes. Methods This is a three-phase study that takes a comprehensive approach, leading to the elucidation of tactics for addressing mis-implementation. Phase 1: We assess the extent to which mis-implementation is occurring among state cancer control programs in public health. This initial phase will involve a survey of 800 practitioners representing all states. The programs represented will span the full continuum of cancer control, from primary prevention to survivorship. Phase 2: Using data from phase 1 to identify organizations in which mis-implementation is particularly high or low, the team will conduct eight comparative case studies to get a richer understanding of mis-implementation and to understand contextual differences. These case studies will highlight lessons learned about mis-implementation and identify hypothesized drivers. Phase 3: Agent-based modeling will be used to identify dynamic interactions between individual capacity, organizational capacity, use of evidence, funding, and external factors driving mis-implementation. The team will then translate and disseminate findings from phases 1 to 3 to practitioners and practice-related stakeholders to support the reduction of mis-implementation. Discussion This study is innovative and significant because it will (1) be the first to refine and further develop reliable and valid measures of mis-implementation of public health programs; (2) bring together a strong, transdisciplinary team with significant expertise in practice-based research; (3) use agent-based modeling to address cancer control implementation; and (4) use a participatory, evidence-based, stakeholder-driven approach that will identify key leverage points for addressing mis-implementation among state public health programs. This research is expected to provide replicable computational simulation models that can identify leverage points and public health system dynamics to reduce mis-implementation in cancer control and may be of interest to other health areas

Impact of prototyping resource environments and timing of awareness of constraints on idea generation in product design

Research and development laboratories in universities and firms around the world try to maximize innovation with a limited set of resources. However, questions remain about the influence of resource constraints on idea generation in early-stage product design. Multiple embedded case studies were conducted with engineering students and faculty at two university campuses in Mexico. Students developed sketches for products that would satisfy an open-ended design problem in a constrained-resource setting, where the variables were the timing of when information about these constraints was revealed, and the regular prototyping environment of the student. The evidence suggests that the timing of awareness of constraints can have an impact on design outcomes, but that this effect varies depending on the designer's regular prototyping resource environment.MIT International Science and Technology InitiativeLegatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award CMMI-1130791