The Effects of Consumer Cultural Values on Ethical Judgment and Performance of Global Brands Among Young Consumers

This study uses well-developed and tested scales to examine differences across two countries in the effects of consumer cultural values on ethical judgment and global brand performance. The study measured consumer attention toward two global brands – Nike and KFC. The research was conducted using over 804 young consumers from Russia and China. The research includes two studies specifically focused on young consumers (18-25) and their attention toward two brands. The first study showed that young Chinese and Russian consumers with strong cultural values are more ethical consumers than unethical. However, consumers who demonstrated strong cultural value such as achievement showed active unethical behavior in both samples. The second study confirmed that two cultural values in young consumers, hedonism and achievement, strongly affected KFC brand performance in both countries. However, young Russian consumers with hedonism and power cultural values strongly affected Nike brand performance, as well as young Chinese consumers with universalism cultural values

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ЛЕТНИХ ДОЖДЕВЫХ ПАВОДКОВ НА РЕКЕ ЧИТА (ЗАБАЙКАЛЬЕ)

Floods caused by rain floods in flood-hazardous regions, which include the Trans-Baikal Territory, lead to significant socio-economic and environmental consequences, especially for settlements located in floodplains. In the Trans-Baikal Territory, its administrative center, the city of Chita, located on the banks of the Chita River, is suffering the greatest economic damage. Therefore, the identification of the patterns of formation of floods on this river determines the relevance of this work, the task of which is to analyze the rain floods on the Chita River – the city Chita for the period from 1988 to 2017 during years of extremely high water consumption, as well as the amount of precipitation due to which they were caused. The work uses the observational data of the Trans-Baikal Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring at the hydrological post of the Chita River – the city Chita and the Chita weather station. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that the most significant floods were re-corded in the last high-water phase of the cycle from 1988 to 1998. Water consumption in 1991 was the first among the observed maximum values on the Chita – Chita River for the entire observation period, 1988 – the third, 1990 – the fifth and 1998 – the seventh. The main factor in the formation of flood waves during these years was precipitation, which in the months of recorded maximum water discharge was 50-165% more than normal, while the daily amount in the period before the flood reached 30-62 mm. A characteristic feature of the formation of floods in the Trans-Baikal Territory, in particular, on the Chita River, is the deep southern or south-western cyclones emerging on its territory. Long-term active cyclonic activity over the Trans-Baikal Territory in the summer leads to rainfall, which cause a sharp increase in water discharge to extreme values.Наводнения, вызываемые дождевыми паводками, в паводкоопасных регионах, к которым относится и Забайкальский край, приводят к значительным социально-экономическим и экологическим последствиям, особенно для населенных пунктов, находящихся в поймах рек. В Забайкальском крае наибольшему экономическому ущербу подвергается его административный центр – г. Чита, расположенный на берегах р. Чита. Поэтому выявление закономерностей формирования паводков на этой реке определяет актуальность данной работы, в задачи которой входит анализ дождевых паводков на р. Чита – г. Чита в годы экстремально высоких расходов воды, а также количества атмосферных осадков, которыми они были обусловлены. В работе используются данные наблюдений Забайкальского управления по гидрометеорологии и мониторингу окружающей среды на гидрологическом посту р. Чита – г. Чита и метеостанции Чита. В результате проведенного анализа выявлено, что наиболее значительные паводки отмечались в последнюю многоводную фазу цикла в период с 1988 по 1998 гг. Расход воды 1991 г. оказался первым в ряду наблюдавшихся их максимальных значений на р. Чита – г. Чита за весь период наблюдений, 1988 г.– третьим, 1990 г. – пятым и 1998 г. – седьмым. Основным фактором образования паводковых волн в эти годы являлись атмосферные осадки, которых в месяцы зарегистрированного максимального расхода воды было отмечено на 50-165% больше нормы, при этом суточное количество в предпаводочный период осадков достигало 30-62 мм. Характерной особенностью формирования паводков в Забайкальском крае, в частности на р. Чита, являются выходящие на его территорию глубокие южные или юго-западные циклоны. Длительная активная циклонической деятельность над Забайкальским краем в летний период приводит к ливневым осадкам, которые вызывают резкое увеличение расходов воды до экстремальных значений.   Литература Гладкевич Г.И., Терский П.Н., Фролова Н.Л. Оценка опасности наводнений на территории Российской Федерации // Водное хозяйство России: проблемы, технологии, управление. 2012. № 2. C. 29-46. Зайков Б.Д. Средний сток и его распределение в году на территории СССР. Л.: Гидрометеоиздат, 1946. 148 с. Кичигина Н.В. Опасность наводнений на реках Байкальского региона // География и природные ресурсы. 2018. № 2. С. 41-51. Разумов В.В., Качанов С.А., Разумова Н.В., Чириков А.Г., Шагин С.И., Беккиев М.Ю., Глушко А.Я., Пчелкин В.И., Фролко С.В. Масштабы и опасность наводнений в регионах России. М.: ФГУ ВНИИ ГОЧС (ФЦ), 2018. 364 с. Носкова Е.В., Вахнина И.Л., Курганович К.А. Характеристика условий увлажненности территории бессточных озер Торейской равнины с использованием метеорологических данных // Вестник Забайкальского государственного университета. 2019. Т. 25. № 3. С. 22-30. DOI: 10.21209/2227-9245-2019-25-3-22-30. Обязов В.А. Изменения современного климата и оценка их последствий для природных и природно-антропогенных систем Забайкалья. Автореф. дисс. ... докт. геогр. наук. Казань, 2014. 38 с. Обязов В.А. Тенденции многолетних изменений речного стока в Забайкалье в многоводные и маловодные периоды // Доклады Академии наук. 2013. Т. 450. № 6. С. 713-716. DOI: 10.7868/S0869565213180205 Обязов В.А. Чита // Малая энциклопедия Забайкалья: Природное наследие / Гл. ред. Р.Ф. Гениатулин. Новосибирск: Наука, 2009. С. 641. Обязов В.А., Смахтин В.К. Многолетний режим стока рек Забайкалья: анализ и фоновый прогноз // Водное хозяйство России: проблемы, технологии, управление. 2012. № 1. С. 63-72. Разумов В.В., Разумова Н.В., Пчелкин В.И. Масштабы и опасность наводнений в Сибирском регионе России // Наука. Инновации. Технологии. 2015. № 4. С. 103-144. Шаликовский А.В. Наводнения в Забайкальском крае: причины, последствия, возможности прогноза // Водные ресурсы и водопользование / Отв. ред. В.Н. Заслоновский. Вып. 9. Чита: ЗабГУ, 2019. С. 11-18. Шаликовский А.В. Специфические особенности формирования наводнений в верхней части бассейна р. Амур // Материалы XIV Международной научно-практической конференции «Кулагинские чтения: техника и технологии производственных процессов» (г. Чита, 26-28 ноября 2014 г.): в 3 ч. Чита: ЗабГУ, 2014. Ч. 3. С. 240-244

Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce Evaluation of Customer Loyalty to Different Format Retailers

Abstract The article notes that at present for different retailers an important strategic objective is to create loyal customers. Under these conditions, the urgency to identify and assess the factors affecting the formation of customer loyalty increases. The purpose of this study is to estimate factors affecting customer loyalty with an average level of income in the context of different formats of retail trade of food specialization in the cities with a population of 1 million people. In the study a methodical approach to customer loyalty and factors it forming is developed. The basic factors of customer loyalty in the context of the marketing mix 7P are discovered (product, price, place, promotion, personnel, physical evidence, and process). A quantitative assessment of the factors of customer loyalty on the basis of the calculation of the index of satisfaction in the context of retail formats (hypermarket, supermarket, and shop near home) is given. The study may be of interest to market operators of retail services in the development of programs to improve customer loyalty to different retailers

INVESTIGATION OF CROSS-CULTURAL DISTINCTIONS EFFECT ON THE CONSUMERS’ BEHAVIOR IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION MARKET

The article states that the investigations of the cross-cultural distinctions effect on the consumer behaviour are challenging and popular in the international scientific and business community and are of the interdisciplinary character. The objective of this investigation is to develop the methodological approach to the assessment of the cross-cultural features impact on the consumers’ behaviour in the higher educational services market. The culture model disclosing the list of the cultural values, material and institutional environment characteristics, adapted to the Universities educational services market, was developed during this investigation. The method for creating the contingency matrix of the elements, forming the model of a certain country consumers’ culture, and the consumers (students) behavioural features in the market of the higher educational services grouped against the 7P complex (Product, Price, Promotion, People, Process, Physical evidence) has been suggested. The developed methodical approach has been approved by Chinese and Russian students. The investigation outcomes can be used to develop the measures to improve the international competitiveness of universities

Reaction of barley to top-dressing with different types of nitrogen fertilizer

The study was carried out to investigate effect of mineral (CAN) and organo-mineral (OMF) top-dress nitrogen fertilizers on physiological and morphological parameters in three barley cultivars. The study revealed significant differences in the reaction of the cultivars in magnitude and direction of the yield structure elements. CAN had smaller effect on the studied parameters than OMF. CAN had no effect on grain yield and straw mass. Only for the cv. Novichok, there was an increase in grain weight from the main ear (15%), the length of the main ear (15%), the 1000-grain weight (2.9%). OMF led to increase grain yield in the cv. Novichok (43%), Pamiaty Rodinoy (16%), and did not change in the cv. Rodnik Prikamya. Only the cv. Novichok has increased the grain mass from the main ear (17%). The length of the main ear increased in the cv. Novichok (13%), Pamiaty Rodinoy (11%) but decreased in the cv. Rodnik Prikamya (7.5%). The influence of OMF increased the 1000-grain weight in the cv. Novichok (4.9%) and Pamiaty Rodinoy (2.5%), but decreased in the cv. Rodnik Prikamya (1.5%). Statistically differences were revealed in reaction of pigment complexes of flag and second leaves in all cultivars

Top-dressing treatment of spring barley to modify its quality

New barley products can be developed by modifying the content of bioactive components in the grain through breeding, as well as improving its quality at lower fertilizer costs. We aimed to study the effects of the genotype, growth conditions, and top-dressing application of nitrogen and organo-mineral fertilizers on the chemical composition of barley grain. The barley varieties Novichok, Rodnik Prikamya, and Pamyaty Rodinoy were grown under normal (2020) and dry (2021) field conditions. The plants were top-dressed with mineral (CAS; SpetsKhimAgro, Kirovo-Chepetsk, Russia) or organo-mineral (Amino Start and Alfastim; Polydon® Agro, Moscow, Russia) fertilizers in the tillering or heading phases. The contents of protein, starch, fat, and crude fiber in the grain were analyzed with an INFRAMATIC 8620 instrument (Perten Instruments, Stockholm, Sweden). The CAS fertilizer reduced protein, fat, and fiber by 4.5–8.3% (Novichok) during the drought and increased starch by 2.1% (Novichok), fiber by 14.2% (Rodnik Prikamya), and fat by 18.9% (Pamyaty Rodinoy) under normal humidity. Amino Start applied under normal conditions increased starch by 2.9% and reduced protein and fat by 7.8–8.9% in Rodnik Prikamya, as well as increased protein and fat by 14.4 and 6.3%, respectively, but reduced starch by 5.1% in Pamyaty Rodinoy. Alfastim applied under normal conditions reduced the content of protein by 10.7% (Rodnik Prikamya), but increased it by 3.6–7.2% in the other cultivars. It also increased fiber by 22.8% in Rodnik Prikamya, but decreased it by 18.6% in Pamyaty Rodinoy. Finally, this fertilizer decreased fat by 12.7% in Rodnik Prikamya, but increased it by 9.8% in Pamyaty Rodinoy. In the drought, the fertilizers Alfastim and Amino Start increased the protein content by 5.2–12.2% in Rodnik Prikamya and Pamyaty Rodinoy. Top-dressing barley plants with mineral or organo-mineral fertilizers can modify the grain composition (up to 10.4% of fiber, 3.6% of starch, and 7.5% of protein and fat), depending on the consumer’s requirements

Environmental and taxonomic controls of carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition in Sphagnum across broad climatic and geographic ranges

Rain-fed peatlands are dominated by peat mosses (Sphagnum sp.), which for their growth depend on nutrients, water and CO2 uptake from the atmosphere. As the isotopic composition of carbon (12,13C) and oxygen (16,18O) of these Sphagnum mosses are affected by environmental conditions, Sphagnum tissue accumulated in peat constitutes a potential long-term archive that can be used for climate reconstruction. However, there is inadequate understanding of how isotope values are influenced by environmental conditions, which restricts their current use as environmental and palaeoenvironmental indicators. Here we tested (i) to what extent C and O isotopic variation in living tissue of Sphagnum is species-specific and associated with local hydrological gradients, climatic gradients (evapotranspiration, temperature, precipitation) and elevation; (ii) whether the C isotopic signature can be a proxy for net primary productivity (NPP) of Sphagnum; and (iii) to what extent Sphagnum tissue δ18O tracks the δ18O isotope signature of precipitation. In total, we analysed 337 samples from 93 sites across North America and Eurasia using two important peat-forming Sphagnum species (S. magellanicum, S. fuscum) common to the Holarctic realm. There were differences in δ13C values between species. For S. magellanicum δ13C decreased with increasing height above the water table (HWT, R2 =17%) and was positively correlated to productivity (R2 = 7%). Together these two variables explained 46% of the between-site variation in δ13C values. For S. fuscum, productivity was the only significant predictor of δ13C but had low explanatory power (total R2 = 6%). For δ18O values, approximately 90% of the variation was found between sites. Globally modelled annual δ18O values in precipitation explained 69% of the between-site variation in tissue δ18O. S. magellanicum showed lower δ18O enrichment than S. fuscum (-0.83 ‰ lower). Elevation and climatic variables were weak predictors of tissue δ18O values after controlling for δ18O values of the precipitation. To summarize, our study provides evidence for (a) good predictability of tissue δ18O values from modelled annual δ18O values in precipitation, and (b) the possibility of relating tissue δ13C values to HWT and NPP, but this appears to be species-dependent. These results suggest that isotope composition can be used on a large scale for climatic reconstructions but that such models should be species-specific.</p