Psychological elements explaining the consumer's adoption and use of a website recommendation system: A theoretical framework proposal

The purpose of this paper is to understand, with an emphasis on the psychological perspective of the research problem, the consumer's adoption and use of a certain web site recommendation system as well as the main psychological outcomes involved. The approach takes the form of theoretical modelling. Findings: A conceptual model is proposed and discussed. A total of 20 research propositions are theoretically analyzed and justified. Research limitations/implications: The theoretical discussion developed here is not empirically validated. This represents an opportunity for future research. Practical implications: The ideas extracted from the discussion of the conceptual model should be a help for recommendation systems designers and web site managers, so that they may be more aware, when working with such systems, of the psychological process consumers undergo when interacting with them. In this regard, numerous practical reflections and suggestions are presented

Protected indications of origin as differentiation cue of food products: the Spanish .

The "country/region of origin" is a traditionally strategy used by food companies in order to differentiate their production from each other. In Spain, there are more than 140 EU recognised- Designations of Origin comprising several categories of food and drinks. From these, there are only six quality labels on Spanish dry-cured ham. In spite of this lower number of Designations, they suppose almost the 15% of the global economic value. From both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective -based on a SWOT analysis, this paper traits to analyse the role of origin as a marketing differentiation tool. In addition, interesting recommendations are offered in order to enhance the consumer's knowledge of Designations' main characteristics.Differentiation; Protected Designations of Origin, Protected Geographical Indications

Propuesta metodológica mediante diseños Box-Behnken para mejorar el rendimiento del análisis conjunto en estudios experimentales de mercado

ResumenEl análisis conjunto es una técnica utilizada para estudiar las preferencias de los consumidores en estudios de mercado. Uno de los aspectos más importantes relacionados con el desarrollo de dicha técnica, se centra en fijar el conjunto de elección que deben evaluar los entrevistados. De forma tradicional, se utilizan diseños factoriales para estimar los valores parciales de los factores. Sin embargo, si el investigador, además, está interesado en estimar las interacciones entre dos o más factores, estos diseños requieren un número tan elevado de alternativas que se hace difícil su evaluación, provocando que los entrevistados no utilicen criterios compensatorios. La utilización de diseños Box-Behnken agrupados en bloques permite reducir el esfuerzo cognitivo de los entrevistados y, a la vez, ajustar un modelo de segundo grado. Este trabajo ilustra, mediante un experimento, el uso y las ventajas de utilizar diseños Box-Behnken en estudios de mercado. Los resultados obtenidos muestran el mayor rendimiento de estos modelos en comparación con los diseños factoriales habituales.AbstractConjoint analysis is a technique used to study consumer preferences in market research. One of the most important issues is to determine the choice set which respondents must assess; usually factorial designs to estimate part-worth factors have been used. But, if the researcher is also interested in estimating two or more factor interactions, factorial designs require such a large number of alternatives that makes their evaluation very difficult, leading respondents to not use compensatory criteria. Using Box-Behnken designs in blocks reduce the cognitive effort made by respondents and, at the same time, it allows fitting a quadratic model. This paper illustrates, through an experiment, the properties and how to use Box-Behnken designs in market research. Results showed a better performance of these models when compared with standard factorial designs

Using response surface methodology to optimize factors in conjoint experiments

Identifying relevant attributes or variables is the first objective of conjoint analysis in market research. As a result of technological development, today it is common for researchers to use sequential experimental methods for adjusting design factors in successive phases. In particular, in the field of consumer behaviour these models are used predominantly for assessing subjective perceptions relating to the attributes of different products with high sensorial components (e.g. food, drinks and personal care products) ..

Propuesta metodológica mediante diseños Box-Behnken para mejorar el rendimiento del análisis conjunto en estudios experimentales de mercado

El análisis conjunto es una técnica utilizada para estudiar las preferencias de los consumidores en estudios de mercado. Uno de los aspectos más importantes relacionados con el desarrollo de dicha técnica, se centra en fijar el conjunto de elección que deben evaluar los entrevistados. De forma tradicional, se utilizan diseños factoriales para estimar los valores parciales de los factores. Sin embargo, si el investigador, además, está interesado en estimar las interacciones entre dos o más factores, estos diseños requieren un número tan elevado de alternativas que se hace difícil su evaluación, provocando que los entrevistados no utilicen criterios compensatorios. La utilización de diseños Box-Behnken agrupados en bloques permite reducir el esfuerzo cognitivo de los entrevistados y, a la vez, ajustar un modelo de segundo grado. Este trabajo ilustra, mediante un experimento, el uso y las ventajas de utilizar diseños Box-Behnken en estudios de mercado. Los resultados obtenidos muestran el mayor rendimiento de estos modelos en comparación con los diseños factoriales habituales

Visual vs auditory augmented reality for indoor guidance

Indoor navigation systems are not widely used due to the lack of effective indoor tracking technology. Augmented Reality (AR) is a natural medium for presenting information in indoor navigation tools. However, augmenting the environment with visual stimuli may not always be the most appropriate method to guide users, e.g., when they are performing some other visual task or they suffer from visual impairments. This paper presents an AR app to support visual and auditory stimuli that we have developed for indoor guidance. A study (N=20) confirms that the participants reached the target when using two types of stimuli, visual and auditory. The AR visual stimuli outperformed the auditory stimuli in terms of time and overall distance travelled. However, the auditory stimuli forced the participants to pay more attention, and this resulted in better memorization of the route. These performance outcomes were independent of gender and age. Therefore, in addition to being easy to use, auditory stimuli promote route retention and show potential in situations in which vision cannot be used as the primary sensory channel or when spatial memory retention is important. We also found that perceived physical and mental efforts affect the subjective perception about the AR guidance app

Los ostrácodos como trazadores ambientales en medios contaminados: el río Odiel (SO España)

In this paper, ostracods are used as tracers of the environmental changes observed in the lower estuary of the Odiel River during the last decades. These microorganisms have a differential behaviour according to the sedimentary environment studied (ebb-end channels, distributaries, main channels). In the ebb-end channels draining the salt marsh bodies, the subaerial exposure is the main factor controlling the evolution of the ostracod assemblages. In the deeper distributaries and the main channel, the acid wastes derived from two industrial concentrations cause the disappearance of these microcrustaceans between 1966 and 1985. In the distributaries, a recovery was observed in the present-day sediments, whereas no individuals were collected in the main channel. The ostracod carapace is a good indicator of water pollution. Percentages of SO3, FeO and CuO are higher in the valves belonging to the pre-industrial (before 1966) and industrial periods. These components may be derived from the industrial wastes, with a latter tidal redistribution along the estuary.En este trabajo, los ostrácodos son usados como trazadores de los cambios ambientales detectados en el estuario bajo del río Odiel durante las últimas décadas. Estos microorganismos tienen un comportamiento diferencial dependiendo del medio sedimentario estudiado (canales finalizadores, distribuidores, principales). En los canales finalizadores, la exposición subaérea es el principal factor que controla la evolución de las asociaciones de ostrácodos. En los distributarios más profundos y en el canal principal, los desechos ácidos procedentes de dos concentraciones industriales causaron la desaparición de estos microcrustáceos entre 1966 y 1985. En los distributarios, se ha apreciado una parcial recuperación en los sedimentos actuales, en tanto que los primeros centímetros del canal principal no contenían valvas o caparazones de ostrácodos. El caparazón de los ostrácodos es un buen indicador de la contaminación del agua. Los porcentajes de SO3, FeO y CuO son mayores en las valvas obtenidas en sedimentos depositados durante el período pre-industrial (antes de 1965) e industrial. Estos componentes podrían proceder de los efluentes industriales, con una redistribución mareal posterior a lo largo del estuario

Fatigue and functional capacity post COVID-19

Background: We explored if fatigue influenced the long-term functional capacity of patients post COVID-19. Methods: People after COVID -19, grouped by treatment setting (home - H, hospital ward - HW or intensive care unit – ICU), were studied 12 months after discharge. Fatigue-Functional Chronic Illness Assessment Questionnaire Fatigue Subscale, FACIT-F and functional capacity-6min walk test, 6MWD and 1min sit-to-stand test, 1minSTS were assessed. Groups were compared with one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis H test. Spearman’s ρ and multiple regression analyses were performed between fatigue-functional tests. Results: 148 subjects (H, n=44; HW, n=60; ICU, n=44) participated. Fatigue was clinically relevant at 12 months although not significantly different among groups [H: 41(35-49); HW: 42(33-50); ICU; 42(32-48) points; p=.979). Functional capacity was significantly higher in those treated at home (6MWD: H,626 114m, HW: 527 146m, ICU: 528 129m, p<.001; 1minSTS: H,29 11reps, HW: 23 8reps, ICU: 24 8reps, p<.002). Fatigue was significantly correlated with functional tests within each group (FACIT-F-6MWD,.317<ρ≤.550, p<.01; FACIT-F-1minSTS, .364<ρ≤.485, p<.01). Each point of FACIT-F could change 6MWD by 5-6m and 1minSTS by. 3-.5reps, explaining between 12-33% of change in 6MWD and 17-22% of change in 1minSTS (Table 1). Conclusions: Fatigue seems to influence functional capacity of patients post COVID-19. Early management of this symptom seems important for their long-term management.publishe

El papel del valor de la marca propia en la composición del surtido del minorista: su influencia sobre la lealtad al establecimiento

El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer la influencia del valor de la MdD, en diferentes tipos de surtido, sobre la lealtad de los consumidores hacia el establecimiento, tanto para una categoría de producto como para la cesta de la compra. Para ello, consideramos surtidos con diferente tamaño y estructura (solo MdD y mixtos) y desarrollamos un experimento online con una muestra de 1.400 consumidores en España. A partir de un análisis ANOVA, los resultados solo muestran diferencias significativas en surtidos mixtos donde la MF de alto valor tiene poco peso, no encontrándose diferencias significativas en surtidos con solo MdD, ni en surtidos mixtos con mayor proporción de MF de alto valor. Estos resultados sugieren diferentes recomendaciones para los minoristas, dependiendo del tipo de surtido por el que optenThe objective of this work is to know the influence of the PL equity, in different structures of the assortment, on the consumer’s loyalty towards the store, for both a product category and the shopping basket. Thus, we consider assortments with different sizes and composition (PL-only and mixed) and develop an online experiment with a sample of 1,400 consumers in Spain. Through an ANOVA analysis, the results only show significant differences in mixed assortments where NBs high equity represent a low ratio, not finding significant differences in PL-only assortments, nor in mixed assortments with a higher ratio of NBs high equity. These results suggest different suggestions for retailers, depending on the type of assortmen