THE BORDER BETWEEN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY- SEGMENTATION BASED ON CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR

In today’s economy, marketers have been facing two challenging trends: fierce competition between companies offering essentially similar products, and dealing with customers that are increasingly informed and demanding, but less and less loyal. Under these conditions, it has become imperative for managers and for marketing professionals to invest in business intelligence in order to find patterns in the consumers’ behavior that could predict their future buying decisions. In this report we have presented how Decision Support Systems, data analysis and customer segmentation can help companies to know their customers better in order to predict (and influence) their future actions. At the same time, we have argued that Business Intelligence should meet psychology and neurology halfway, and accept that there is a very high emotional subconscious component that produces a high degree of unpredictability in consumers’ behavior.DSS, business intelligence, consumer behavior, segmentation, buying decision process

PERCEIVED RISK, PRICE AND ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCIES: DOES PRICE ALWAYS MATTER?

The present study analyzes the influence of price level in the case of online shopping for travel services. The methodology used is a quasi experiment developed in the online environment. The analysis is made within groups and follows three scenarios which depend on the level of brand awareness. Inside each scenario price takes two levels: similar to competition and smaller than competition. Results show that price does not have an influence on all types of perceived risk and that its influence depends also on the brand awareness component.perceived risk, price, online travel agencies, e-commerce, e-tourism.

Odnos između percipiranog rizika i namjere usvajanja e-trgovanja - pilot studija potencijalnih moderatora

E-commerce continues to develop as an important channel for consumer purchases. This explains the growing interest in determining the most important variables which affect online consumer behavior, especially perceived risk as a well-known behavioral deterrent. Previous studies have proved a negative influence of perceived risk on the intention to adopt e-commerce. However, depending on the type of product and the population investigated, results were often contradictory and this relationship was found to be stronger, weaker or even inconclusive. This led us to conclude that, besides direct influence factors, there could be moderating effects for the analyzed relationship. Moderators are qualitative or quantitative variables which modify a relationship, and affect the direction and/or strength of that relationship between an independent and a dependant variable. The purpose of our research was to investigate potential moderator variables which could change the relationship between perceived risk and the intention to buy online. We used three observable variables – gender, experience in using the Internet and experience with online shopping – and three latent, psychological variables – fear of uncertainty, trust in e-commerce and materialism. The research consisted of a survey conducted on a sample of 481 business students, followed by a Structural Equation Modeling approach. Although no moderation effect was proved, partly due to the homogeneity of the investigated pilot population, fear of uncertainty and trust in e-commerce were found to be antecedents of perceived risk in e-commerce, making perceived risk a mediator between these two variables and the intention to buy online.E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći interes za određivanje najvažnijih varijabli koje utječu na ponašanje potrošača na internetu, a posebice na percipirani rizik kao poznato bihevioralno zastrašivanje. Prethodne su studije dokazale negativan utjecaj percipiranog rizika na namjeru usvajanja e-trgovanja. No ovisno o vrsti proizvoda i istraživane populacije, rezultati su često bili kontradiktorni, a utvrđeno je da je ta povezanost jača, slabija ili nejasna. Tako dolazimo do zaključka da osim čimbenika koji imaju direktni utjecaj, vjerojatno postoje i moderatori koji utječu na analizirani odnos. Moderatori su kvalitativne i kvantitativne varijable koje modificiraju odnos i utječu na smjer i/ili jakost odnosa između nezavisne i zavisne varijable. Svrha našeg rada jest istražiti potencijalne moderatorske varijable koje bi mogle promijeniti odnos između percipiranog rizika i namjere kupovine na internetu. Promatrali smo tri varijable, tj. spol, iskustvo korištenja interneta i iskustvo kupovine putem interneta, i tri latentne, psihološke varijable: strah od neizvjesnosti, povjerenje u e-trgovanje i materijalizam. Istraživanje je provedeno anketiranjem na uzorku od 481 studenata poslovne ekonomije, nakon čega je slijedio pristup modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi. Iako nije dokazan moderacijski efekt, djelomično zbog homogenosti istraživane pilot populacije, strah od neizvjesnosti i povjerenje u e-trgovanje otkriveni su kao prethodnici percipiranog rizika u e-poslovanju čineći percipirani rizik medijatorom između tih dviju varijabli i namjere kupovine putem interneta

Financial Literacy – Conceptual Definition and Proposed Approach for a Measurement Instrument

The financial education of a country (in terms of knowledge, abilities and behaviors) can be crucial for a healthy economic life, at individual, macro or multi-nation level. It can contribute to a decrease of financial exclusion risks, to an increase of informed decisions and even to an increased liquidity on the financial markets. The concept designed to encompass different facets of this financial education is labeled “financial literacy”. A large number of concepts are used within the umbrella of financial literacy, and quite different measurement instruments exist, more or less sound. This conceptual and operational heterogeneity makes things complicated and does not allow comparisons and concrete actions. In order to improve people’s financial literacy we first need to define the concept and then find the best ways to measure one’s degree of financial literacy. Through our study we synthesized the definitions and instruments previously used and we suggest a comprehensive approach for obtaining a measurement instrument for this latent variable – financial literacy. We propose using separate scales for measuring the main dimensions of financial literacy – financial knowledge, financial abilities (capability to use financial information in order to take decisions), financial communication, financial behavior and financial confidence. As methodology we used a documentary study and a didactic experiment on Master degree students in finance

Length of maternity leave and health of mother and child - a review

Summary: Objectives:: Assessment of the literature on the length of maternity leaves and health of mothers and children; evaluation of the Swiss situation in view of the maternity leave policy implemented in 2005. Methods:: Review of thirteen original studies identified by PubMed using topic-related terms. Results:: A positive association was shown between the length of maternity leave and mother's mental health and duration of breastfeeding. Extended maternity leaves were also associated with lower perinatal, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates as well as lower child mortality; however, results are obtained in ecological studies. There is less evidence regarding other health outcomes. The new policy in Switzerland extends maternity leave for a considerable number of women to 14 weeks. With this prolongation, fewer depressive symptoms and longer breastfeeding duration can be expected, while benefits regarding other health outcomes would warrant longer leaves. Conclusions:: Longer maternity leaves are likely to produce health benefits. The new policy in Switzerland will probably improve the situation of those women, who previously were granted only minimal leave and/or mothers with additional social risk factor

Prevalence and predictors of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a population-based sample

The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms and of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in a population-based sample of women of the entire reproductive age range, as well as to analyse predictors of PMS and PMDD in terms of socio-demographic, health status and health behavioural factors. A set of questions on PMS-based on the premenstrual syndrome screening tool developed by Steiner et al., translated into German and piloted—was integrated into the written questionnaire of the 2007 Swiss Health Survey. Weighted prevalence rates and multivariable regression analysis for the outcome variables PMS and PMDD were calculated. A total of 3,913 women aged 15 to 54years answered the questions on PMS symptoms, and 3,522 of them additionally answered the questions on interference of PMS with life. Ninety one percent of the participants reported at least one symptom, 10.3% had PMS and 3.1% fulfilled the criteria for PMDD. The prevalence of PMS was higher in non-married women, in women aged 35-44years and in women of the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. Both PMS and PMDD were strongly associated with poor physical health and psychological distress. Socio-cultural factors seem to determine the prevalence, perception and handling of PMS. Considering the association with poor physical health and high psychological distress, a broader underlying vulnerability in women qualifying for PMDD must be assumed and should be taken into account in clinical management as well as in future research in this fiel