Socio-cultural retailing: What can marketing learn from this interdisciplinary field?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the on-going cultural turn in retail marketing by offering an overview of the interdisciplinary field of socio-cultural retailing and discussing how this body of work can contribute conceptually, methodologically and substantively to the field of retail marketing.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a literature review of socio-cultural retail studies in marketing, cultural geography, sociology, and anthropology. The literature is analysed in relation to the substantive, conceptual and methodological domains of retail marketing.Findings – Drawing on the literature review, the authors argue that socio-cultural retail studies can contribute to the field of retail marketing substantively, conceptually and methodologically, thus broadening its current scope and domains.Originality/value – This paper provides an overview of an interdisciplinary field and identifies how it can contribute to the field of retail marketing. It is valuable for retailing researchers interested in socio-cultural approaches to the study of contemporary retailing

Consolidation through resourcing in last-mile logistics

This paper assesses how various ways of organizing last-mile logistics impact resource utilization, and, in turn, opportunities for consolidating goods. The paper combines a conceptualization of resourcing and consolidation derived from the literature with an analysis of contemporary last-mile logistics options in the Swedish retail market. Based on the analysis of three forms of last-mile logistics - consumer logistics, retailer logistics, and hybrid logistics - the paper discusses how resourcing for fixed, mobile, and coordination resources can enable consolidation in terms of time, place, and form. Drawing from the Swedish context, the paper calls for additional research combining country-specific studies while examining similarities and differences in last-mile logistics, particularly concerning factors that enable or hinder consolidation as well as how such potentials are realized in practice. Although consolidation clearly appears in the rich literature on last-mile logistics, this paper focuses on how consolidation can be achieved through resourcing and offers additional insights into current frameworks for last-mile logistics in retailing

A principal component analysis of 39 scientific impact measures

The impact of scientific publications has traditionally been expressed in terms of citation counts. However, scientific activity has moved online over the past decade. To better capture scientific impact in the digital era, a variety of new impact measures has been proposed on the basis of social network analysis and usage log data. Here we investigate how these new measures relate to each other, and how accurately and completely they express scientific impact. We performed a principal component analysis of the rankings produced by 39 existing and proposed measures of scholarly impact that were calculated on the basis of both citation and usage log data. Our results indicate that the notion of scientific impact is a multi-dimensional construct that can not be adequately measured by any single indicator, although some measures are more suitable than others. The commonly used citation Impact Factor is not positioned at the core of this construct, but at its periphery, and should thus be used with caution

Depth probing of the hydride formation process in thin Pd films by combined electrochemistry and fiber optics-based in situ UV/vis spectroscopy

We demonstrate a flexible combined electrochemistry and fiber optics-based in situ UV/vis spectroscopy setup to gain insight into the depth evolution of electrochemical hydride and oxide formation in Pd films with thicknesses of 20 and 100 nm. The thicknesses of our model systems are chosen such that the films are thinner or significantly thicker than the optical skin depth of Pd to create two distinctly different situations. Low power white light is irradiated on the sample and analyzed in three different configurations; transmittance through, and, reflectance from the front and the back side of the film. The obtained optical sensitivities correspond to fractions of a monolayer of adsorbed or absorbed hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) on Pd. Moreover, a combined simultaneous readout obtained from the different optical measurement configurations provides mechanistic insights into the depth-evolution of the studied hydrogenation and oxidation processes

Microbial and human transcriptome in vaginal fluid at midgestation: Association with spontaneous preterm delivery

Background Intrauterine infection and inflammation caused by microbial transfer from the vagina are believed to be important factors causing spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD). Multiple studies have examined the relationship between the cervicovaginal microbiome and spontaneous PTD with divergent results. Most studies have applied a DNA-based assessment, providing information on the microbial composition but not transcriptional activity. A transcriptomic approach was applied to investigate differences in the active vaginal microbiome and human transcriptome at midgestation between women delivering spontaneously preterm versus those delivering at term. Methods Vaginal swabs were collected in women with a singleton pregnancy at 18 + 0 to 20 + 6 gestational weeks. For each case of spontaneous PTD (delivery <37 + 0 weeks) two term controls were randomized (39 + 0 to 40 + 6 weeks). Vaginal specimens were subject to sequencing of both human and microbial RNA. Microbial reads were taxonomically classified using Kraken2 and RefSeq as a reference. Statistical analyses were performed using DESeq2. GSEA and HUMAnN3 were used for pathway analyses. Results We found 17 human genes to be differentially expressed (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05) in the preterm group (n = 48) compared to the term group (n = 96). Gene expression of kallikrein-2 (KLK2), KLK3 and four isoforms of metallothioneins 1 (MT1s) was higher in the preterm group (FDR < 0.05). We found 11 individual bacterial species to be differentially expressed (FDR < 0.05), most with a low occurrence. No statistically significant differences in bacterial load, diversity or microbial community state types were found between the groups. Conclusions In our mainly white population, primarily bacterial species of low occurrence were differentially expressed at midgestation in women who delivered preterm versus at term. However, the expression of specific human transcripts including KLK2, KLK3 and several isoforms of MT1s was higher in preterm cases. This is of interest, because these genes may be involved in critical inflammatory pathways associated with spontaneous PTD

Multiproject–multicenter evaluation of automatic brain tumor classification by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Contains fulltext : 75361.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)14 p

Measuring serotonin synthesis: from conventional methods to PET tracers and their (pre)clinical implications

The serotonergic system of the brain is complex, with an extensive innervation pattern covering all brain regions and endowed with at least 15 different receptors (each with their particular distribution patterns), specific reuptake mechanisms and synthetic processes. Many aspects of the functioning of the serotonergic system are still unclear, partially because of the difficulty of measuring physiological processes in the living brain. In this review we give an overview of the conventional methods of measuring serotonin synthesis and methods using positron emission tomography (PET) tracers, more specifically with respect to serotonergic function in affective disorders. Conventional methods are invasive and do not directly measure synthesis rates. Although they may give insight into turnover rates, a more direct measurement may be preferred. PET is a noninvasive technique which can trace metabolic processes, like serotonin synthesis. Tracers developed for this purpose are α-[11C]methyltryptophan ([11C]AMT) and 5-hydroxy-L-[β-11C]tryptophan ([11C]5-HTP). Both tracers have advantages and disadvantages. [11C]AMT can enter the kynurenine pathway under inflammatory conditions (and thus provide a false signal), but this tracer has been used in many studies leading to novel insights regarding antidepressant action. [11C]5-HTP is difficult to produce, but trapping of this compound may better represent serotonin synthesis. AMT and 5-HTP kinetics are differently affected by tryptophan depletion and changes of mood. This may indicate that both tracers are associated with different enzymatic processes. In conclusion, PET with radiolabelled substrates for the serotonergic pathway is the only direct way to detect changes of serotonin synthesis in the living brain

Flytande identitet. NetOnNet och e-handelns återkomst

Flytande identitet NetOnNet och e-handelns återkomst Johan Hagberg. AKADEMISK AVHANDLING För avläggande av ekonomie doktorsexamen i företagsekonomi som med tillstånd av Handelshögskolans fakultetsnämnd vid Göteborgs universitetframlägges för offentlig granskning onsdagen den 23 april 2008 kl. 10 i sal E44vid Företagsekonomiska institutionen, Vasagatan 1, Göteborg. Abstract Göteborg University Author: Johan HagbergSchool of Business, Economics and Law Language: SwedishDept. of Business Administration ISBN: 978-91-85659-13-5PO Box 610, SE-405 30 Göteborg 322 pages Sweden Doctoral thesis 2008 Fluid identities NetOnNet and the return of e-commerceIn June 2004, a curious story appeared in the Swedish business press. One could read that ecommercehad "recovered" and was "taking revenge". A few years earlier the media spoke ofnothing but the dotcom-burst, broken expectations and bankruptcies. It seemed that by 2004, ecommercewas established in its own right as a retail form. One of the companies mentioned inthe articles was called NetOnNet. The purpose of this study was to describe the emergence of ecommercein Swedish retailing through a history of NetOnNet, thereby contributing to a betterunderstanding of changes in retail.Assuming that it is particularly interesting to study change in retail by studying the emergence ofa retail form in an early stage, the starting theoretical point for the study was McNair's now fiftyyear old version of the so called wheel of retailing. The study took a constructivist perspectiveand uses the actor-network theory approach. Particular attention was paid to the classification ofretail forms, the establishment of retail form characteristics and retail change periodization.The boundaries between retail forms were fluid, but the classification of retail forms was animportant element in the change efforts. The emergence of e-commerce also simultaneouslyincluded a re-classification of other forms of retail. This shows that retail forms are constantlyconstructed and reconstructed. This means that an a priori classification of retail forms precedes astudy of change, important aspects of the change process may be absent from analysis. Also the characteristics of retail forms were fluid. There were considerable conflicts regarding thecharacteristics of retail forms especially relating to price. This is an illustration of the difficultiesof a priori deciding retail form characteristics, as these characteristics are temporary results of thechange process. Even the periodization was fluid. Periods, phases and stages indicated by theoriesof retail change (such as introduction, growth or maturity) were continuously referred to, but fordifferent purposes. The change process can best be described as recursive activities of translationand classification, which are preceded or followed by new periodizations. The notion of fluididentity, as exemplified by NetOnNet, reveals a continuous construction and reconstruction ofmultiple, changeable identities supported by efforts to establish continuity and uniformity throughtime and space. Fluid identity was possible due to the recursive interplay of differentiation andidentification by means of translation and classification. Key words: retailing, retail change, retail forms, e-commerce, actor-network theory, translation,classification, periodization, identification, differentiation. Printed in Sweden by © 2008 Johan Hagberg Responstryck, Borås 200