Buildings behaving badly:A behavioral experiment on how different motivational frames influence residential energy label adoption in the Netherlands

Heating buildings contributes to approximately 36% of Europe’s energy demand and several EU member states have adopted mandatory energy labels to improve energy efficiency by promoting home weatherization investments. This paper focuses on the perception of the energy label for residential buildings in the Netherlands and the role of different frames (egoistic, biospheric and social norms and neutral frames) in motivating adoption of energy labels for housing. We used a behavioral email experiment and an online survey to investigate these motivational factors. We find that biospheric frames are weaker than the other three motivational frames in terms of engaging interest in the energy label, but that the biospheric frame results in higher willingness to pay (WTP) for the energy label. We also find that age (rather than income) correlates with higher willingness to pay for home energy labels

A healthy indulgence? Wine consumers and the health benefits of wine

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. Moderate red wine consumption has been linked to a reduction in the risk of death by heart disease and heart attack by 30–50%. With about 600,000 people dying from heart disease in the US each year, red wine has become increasingly popular among health conscious consumers. Wine is often touted for its potential health benefits, but to what extent is “health” a factor when consumers make their consumption decisions for alcoholic beverages? This study aims to further understand how consumers make their beverage choices and to understand the role wine health benefit knowledge plays in the willingness of consumers to purchase wine. The results suggest that consumers value the relationship between food/beverage intake and their health status. Consumers with few health issues were the ones more likely to indicate that they consume wine for health reasons, suggesting a potential market among consumers with known health issues. In addition, consumers who attributed the most health benefits to wine were the ones most likely to drink more wine and pay more for wine if it were health enhanced

How “phubbing” becomes the norm: The antecedents and consequences of snubbing via smartphone

Smartphones allow people to connect with others from almost anywhere at any time. However, there is growing concern that smartphones may actually sometimes detract, rather than complement, social interactions. The term “phubbing” represents the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by concentrating on one’s phone instead of talking to the person directly. The current study was designed to examine some of the psychological antecedents and consequences of phubbing behavior. We examined the contributing roles of Internet addiction, fear of missing out, self-control, and smartphone addiction, and how the frequency of phubbing behavior and of being phubbed may both lead to the perception that phubbing is normative. The results revealed that Internet addiction, fear of missing out, and self-control predicted smartphone addiction, which in turn predicted the extent to which people phub. This path also predicted the extent to which people feel that phubbing is normative, both via (a) the extent to which people are phubbed themselves, and (b) independently. Further, gender moderated the relationship between the extent to which people are phubbed and their perception that phubbing is normative. The present findings suggest that phubbing is an important factor in modern communication that warrants further investigation

A New Twist on Tradition: Selling the Experience to U.S. Wine Consumers

The design of the wine package is considered by most consumers to be a direct reflection of the quality of the wine. The emergence of alternative wine closures has grown mainly in response to quality control efforts by winemakers to protect against cork failure. However, with the introduction of screw cap closures nearly 40 years ago, the wine world has experienced an upheaval in what is the appropriate style of closure to use. Telephone interviews assessing attitudes to alternative closures amongst winemakers and sommeliers were conducted. The results indicated that many winemakers are not yet comfortable with screw caps and sommeliers are reluctant to create a disturbance that consumers might not completely understand

EXPORTING U.S. WINE TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The project's objective was to assess the emerging wine market of the Dominican Republic with the goal of identifying potential for exporting U.S. wine. Data Collection: The data were collected through the following activities: • in-depth interviews with wine importers, restaurant, hotel, and resort managers • wine consumer survey • examination and assessment of retail price points and shelf allocation • examination of wine lists • examination of promotional and informational materials related to wine Main Findings: Wine consumption began to experience rapid growth in the 1990s, surpassing an annual sale of over 100,000 cases to approximately 500,000 cases in the year 2000 (Hernandez, 2004). By the year 2001, beer and wine had experienced a 55% average growth (Mendez, 2002), and by 2007, wine consumption alone was estimated to be 7 million liters annually, valued at more than U.S. $18 million dollars, with an expectation to grow (ProChile, 2010). Wine's popularity in the Dominican Republic is growing rapidly. Researchers found that increase in discretionary incomes and growing number of international tourists contribute greatly to this growth. As the largest Caribbean economy, the Dominican Republic averages about 6year. In 2009, the gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at$45.6 billion, with the per capita GDP of $ 8,648 , a much higher amount in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) than in previous years (U.S. Department of State, 2010). According to the U.S. Department of State (2010), tourism, transportation, communication, and finances comprise about 54% of the nation's GDP; it is expected that employment in travel and tourism industries will continue to increase. U.S. wines have increased their presence in the Dominican Republic due to increased exposure to consumers, changing consumption patterns, and lower transportation costs. Carlo Rossi is currently the bestknown U.S. brand among the Dominican population. Overall, other than a few higher-end California wines, consumers are not generally willing to pay much for U.S. wines, as there is strong competition with Rioja wines. Although wine from various wine regions of the world is available in the Dominican Republic, the market is currently dominated by wine from Spain and Chile. According to the GAIN report of 2011, the U.S. has 14% of the total wine market share, after Spain (36%), Chile (27%), and Italy (15%). Argentina holds 5% and other markets 3% of the remaining market share. Almost all available wine in the DR is controlled by importers. The vast majority of importers interviewed agreed that the current wine market in the Dominican Republic is saturated. The U.S. high-end wines present the best market potential and a few importers indicated they are open to negotiate on these high-end wines. Retail is by far the biggest potential for imported wines, as the vast majority of Dominican consumers purchase wine for personal consumption or as a gift at supermarkets or liquor stores. All-inclusive resorts represent about 30% of the wine market in the DR. These resorts import wine directly and almost exclusively in bulk, mainly from Spain