Is craft beer consumption genderless? Exploratory evidence from Italy and Germany

This study aimed to investigate the gendered nature of craft beer consumption in Italy and Germany. Data were collected through online surveys in Italy (N=211) and Germany (N=210). Based on an enhanced version of the Theory of Planned Behavior, mean-value-difference tests and moderated-regression analyses with gender as moderator was performed to test gender effects on craft beer consumption behaviour. Our results provide evidence that the gap in craft beer consumption behaviour is not very pronounced. In the German sample, gender did not moderate the effects of the model components on behavioural intent. However, the study found significant mean differences in all model variables. In the Italian sample, gender did moderate the effects of several components of the Theory of Planned Behavior on behavioural intention. Hence, craft beer consumption appears to represent an opportunity for Italian women to negotiate their womanhood in a historically masculine-dominated space. Limitations of our data are the focus on two specific countries, the use of small-sized samples, and the prediction of behavioural intentions instead of actual behaviour. The study may help marketing managers in developing appropriate marketing strategies based on a better understanding of gender-specific needs in craft beer consumption. Our investigation provides the first comparative analysis of gender-specific behavioural pattern in craft beer consumption in two European countries characterised by notably different beer cultures

Bereitschaft zur Teilnahme an betrieblichen Freiwilligenprogrammen: Die Effekte von innerbetrieblichen Referenzgruppen und des regulatorischen Fokus (Inclination to Participate in Employee Volunteering Programs: The Effects of Organizational Reference Group Influences and Regulatory Focus)

Die vorliegende Studie analysiert, wie innerbetriebliche Referenzgruppen und der regulatorische Fokus von Kommunikationsbotschaften die Bereitschaft zur Teilnahme an betrieblichen Freiwilligenprogrammen beeinflussen. Die Ergebnisse einer experimentellen Studie zeigen, dass sich der Referenzgruppeneinfluss sowie der regulatorische Fokus von Kommunikationsbotschaften unterschiedlich auf verschiedene Facetten der individuellen Handlungsintention niederschlagen. Ferner wird auch gezeigt, dass die Referenzgruppeneinfluesse mit dem chronischen regulatorischen Fokus sowie mit dem regulatorischen Fokus von Kommunikationsbotschaften interagieren koennen. Handlungsempfehlungen fuer die Gestaltung der Kommunikation mit Mitarbeitern und Ansatzpunkte fuer die zukuenftige Forschung werden diskutiert. (This study investigates how organizational reference group influences and regulatory focus affect the willingness of individuals to participate in employee volunteering programs. The results of an experimental study reveal that organizational reference group influences and the regulatory focus of communication messages have an impact on different aspects of the willingness of individuals to participate in employee volunteering programs. Moreover, the current study shows that the effects of organizational reference groups interact with two facets of the regulatory focus. Implications for employee communication and avenues for future research are discussed.)employee communication, employee volunteering, reference groups, regulatory focus, organizational citizenship behavior

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β expression in human peritoneum

INTRODUCTION: Simple peritoneal fibrosis and encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) are important lesions in the peritoneum of patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). We have previously described a population of podoplanin-positive myofibroblasts in peritoneal biopsies from patients with EPS. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRβ) is a marker of pericytes, and PDGFs might be involved in the fibrotic response of the peritoneum. This study aimed to describe PDGFRβ in the human peritoneum. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we localized PDGFRβ in peritoneal biopsies from patients with EPS (n = 6) and patients on PD without signs of EPS (n = 5), and compared them with normal peritoneum (n = 4) and peritoneum from uremic patients (n = 5). Consecutive sections were stained for smooth-muscle actin (SMA) and podoplanin. Slides were scored semiquantitatively by 2 observers blinded to the diagnosis. RESULTS: PDGFRβ was expressed by cells of arterial walls in all biopsies. A prominent population of PDGFRβ-positive cells was present in the normal peritoneum, which were SMA negative on consecutive sections. In patients on PD, a high number of PDGFRβ were also positive for SMA. In EPS, the majority of podoplanin-positive cells were positive for PDGFRβ. In peritoneal biopsies from normal and uremic patients, the expression of SMA was mainly restricted to cells of arterial walls. Podoplanin expression was restricted to lymphatic vessels in normal peritoneum, in uremic patients, and in patients on PD without EPS. CONCLUSIONS: As podoplanin-positive myofibroblasts express PDGFRβ, these cells might be related to pericytes (rather than other sources of fibroblasts). PDGFRβ might turn out to be a therapeutic target in EPS. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel