Consumer morality factors: do they influence the intention to buy a cause-related product?

The aim of the study. The study aims to determine the influence of moral identity and moral emotions (anticipatory guilt, empathy) on consumer decision to buy cause-related products

Consumer morality factors: do they influence the intention to buy a cause-related product?

The aim of the study. The study aims to determine the influence of moral identity and moral emotions (anticipatory guilt, empathy) on consumer decision to buy cause-related products

MOOCs: The Factors Impacting Learners’ Continuance Intention, the Intention to Complete or Cancel a Course

The growing popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has attracted significant attention from researchers and businesses. Though many studies have investigated what motivates learners’ continuance intention, it is no less important to reveal the factors that lead to course completion or cancellation. The aim of this study is to reveal the factors impacting three different e-learning behaviour intentions– continuance intention, the intention to complete, and the intention to cancel MOOCs – by applying the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Based on a survey of 299 respondents, it was revealed that the TAM only explains continuance intention but cannot be fully employed to predict two other e-learning behavior intentions. Also, participants’ support and self-efficacy, being a part of the TPB model, had an influence on the intention to complete the course, while they did not affect continuance intention. Only participants’ support had a moderate positive impact on the intention to cancel it. Moreover, it was revealed that continuance intention positively impacted the intention to complete and negatively impacted the intention to cancel the course. This expands the body of knowledge about learners’ motivations for three different e-learning behaviour intentions and has managerial implications for their development in emerging economies

Smartphone apps for calculating insulin dose: a systematic assessment

Background: Medical apps are widely available, increasingly used by patients and clinicians, and are being actively promoted for use in routine care. However, there is little systematic evidence exploring possible risks associated with apps intended for patient use. Because self-medication errors are a recognized source of avoidable harm, apps that affect medication use, such as dose calculators, deserve particular scrutiny. We explored the accuracy and clinical suitability of apps for calculating medication doses, focusing on insulin calculators for patients with diabetes as a representative use for a prevalent long-term condition. Methods: We performed a systematic assessment of all English-language rapid/short-acting insulin dose calculators available for iOS and Android. Results: Searches identified 46 calculators that performed simple mathematical operations using planned carbohydrate intake and measured blood glucose. While 59% (n = 27/46) of apps included a clinical disclaimer, only 30% (n = 14/46) documented the calculation formula. 91% (n = 42/46) lacked numeric input validation, 59% (n = 27/46) allowed calculation when one or more values were missing, 48% (n = 22/46) used ambiguous terminology, 9% (n = 4/46) did not use adequate numeric precision and 4% (n = 2/46) did not store parameters faithfully. 67% (n = 31/46) of apps carried a risk of inappropriate output dose recommendation that either violated basic clinical assumptions (48%, n = 22/46) or did not match a stated formula (14%, n = 3/21) or correctly update in response to changing user inputs (37%, n = 17/46). Only one app, for iOS, was issue-free according to our criteria. No significant differences were observed in issue prevalence by payment model or platform. Conclusions: The majority of insulin dose calculator apps provide no protection against, and may actively contribute to, incorrect or inappropriate dose recommendations that put current users at risk of both catastrophic overdose and more subtle harms resulting from suboptimal glucose control. Healthcare professionals should exercise substantial caution in recommending unregulated dose calculators to patients and address app safety as part of self-management education. The prevalence of errors attributable to incorrect interpretation of medical principles underlines the importance of clinical input during app design. Systemic issues affecting the safety and suitability of higher-risk apps may require coordinated surveillance and action at national and international levels involving regulators, health agencies and app stores.Published versio

Interaction between brand communities and a brand owner : The effect on community members’ perception of a brand

Purpose The aim of the paper is to improve the understanding of effects caused by involvement of brand community members in communication with a brand owning company. The research has been conducted in Moscow, Russia. It examines brand values associated with Audi by Audi Club Moscow members, and those ones perceived by non-community members, and beside this, the degree of involvement in communication with the company of both. Research Method Numerous in-depth interviews have been processed among brand community members, people outside the community and the Audi AG employees. Results Through the analysis of primary data it was found that thanks to active communication with Audi brand community members associate with the brand values, similar to the brand holder’s ones. However, people outside the community, who do not actively communicate with the company, have the tendency to perceive brand values, controversial to brand owner’s ones. Research limitations/implications Due to the time and resources limits only one Audi brand community was chosen to represent Russia’s market. The investigation of communication channels between a brand and brand communities could be the direction of further studies. Practical implications The results of the study might have value for practical implementation in business; they could be used for building up and managing communication between a company and brand communities. Originality/value This study supplies the contribution to the existing literature and companies’ managers disclosing a field not analyzed befor

Interaction between brand communities and a brand owner : The effect on community members’ perception of a brand

Purpose The aim of the paper is to improve the understanding of effects caused by involvement of brand community members in communication with a brand owning company. The research has been conducted in Moscow, Russia. It examines brand values associated with Audi by Audi Club Moscow members, and those ones perceived by non-community members, and beside this, the degree of involvement in communication with the company of both. Research Method Numerous in-depth interviews have been processed among brand community members, people outside the community and the Audi AG employees. Results Through the analysis of primary data it was found that thanks to active communication with Audi brand community members associate with the brand values, similar to the brand holder’s ones. However, people outside the community, who do not actively communicate with the company, have the tendency to perceive brand values, controversial to brand owner’s ones. Research limitations/implications Due to the time and resources limits only one Audi brand community was chosen to represent Russia’s market. The investigation of communication channels between a brand and brand communities could be the direction of further studies. Practical implications The results of the study might have value for practical implementation in business; they could be used for building up and managing communication between a company and brand communities. Originality/value This study supplies the contribution to the existing literature and companies’ managers disclosing a field not analyzed befor

Interaction between brand communities and a brand owner : The effect on community members’ perception of a brand

Purpose The aim of the paper is to improve the understanding of effects caused by involvement of brand community members in communication with a brand owning company. The research has been conducted in Moscow, Russia. It examines brand values associated with Audi by Audi Club Moscow members, and those ones perceived by non-community members, and beside this, the degree of involvement in communication with the company of both. Research Method Numerous in-depth interviews have been processed among brand community members, people outside the community and the Audi AG employees. Results Through the analysis of primary data it was found that thanks to active communication with Audi brand community members associate with the brand values, similar to the brand holder’s ones. However, people outside the community, who do not actively communicate with the company, have the tendency to perceive brand values, controversial to brand owner’s ones. Research limitations/implications Due to the time and resources limits only one Audi brand community was chosen to represent Russia’s market. The investigation of communication channels between a brand and brand communities could be the direction of further studies. Practical implications The results of the study might have value for practical implementation in business; they could be used for building up and managing communication between a company and brand communities. Originality/value This study supplies the contribution to the existing literature and companies’ managers disclosing a field not analyzed befor

Management of Short-term Capital Flows in China

Our essay focuses on short-term capital inflows and their effects on China’s economy.The reason for this work was the increasing vulnerability of China’s economy and the risk of newupcoming world financial crisis, all because of uncontrollable amounts of speculative capitalflows. Because of this problem, we raised a main question that we try to answer in this essayhowto reduce the possibility and the severity of the future financial crisis in China? In order tosolve this problem, first we searched for the existing theory of capital flows, mainly short-termcapital inflows. We analysed why investors choose capital flows and some specific countries,why it is profitable, but also risky and what could be done by countries, to stop these inflows orat least to diminish their effect on domestic markets. After that, we looked for past experiencesof countries faced with surges of capital flows and their measures for controlling them, weanalysed, if the theoretical tools were actually effective in reality. To finish the model, weapplied these measures to China’s economy and gave our viewpoint on what could be changedin order to avoid the dangers of short-term capital inflows. Last, we sum up the whole essay andsuggest the best mix of measures that China could use to control capital inflows as well as theireffects on the economy

Formowanie nanowłókien PVA z udziałem jodu metodą elektroprzędzenia

The area of technical textile applications is very wide, with one of the most important being medical textiles. Polymer-iodine complexes (i.e. iodophors) are widely used in antiseptic products. Nanofibres with iodine may be used to disinfect skin in medicine, and iodine is also characterised by a fungicidal effect. The aim of this research was to form an electrospun PVA mat from nanofibres with iodine and establish the influence of iodine dissolved in ethanol on the structure of electrospun mats. The results showed that it is possible to form a PVA nonwoven mat with an iodine element inserted by the electrospinning process, which has an influence on the structure of the electrospun nonwoven mat.Związki kompleksowe polimer-jod (jodofory) są szeroko stosowane jako środki antyseptyczne. Nanowłókna z udziałem jodu mogą zostać użyte dla celów medycznych do dezynfekcji skóry, jod charakteryzuje się również efektem grzybobójczym. Celem badań było wytworzenie elektroprzędzionego runa PVA z nanowłókien z dodatkiem jodu i określenie wpływu rozpuszczonego w etanolu jodu na strukturę elektroprzędzionego runa. Wyniki wskazują, iż możliwe jest wytworzenie runa PVA metodą elektroprzędzenia nanowłókien z jodem, który jednak wpływa na strukturę runa