Consumption authenticity in the age of the sharing economy: the keys to creating loyal customers who love your brand

Airbnb has gained popularity as an alternative to hotels, with the authenticity of the consumption experience being a critical differentiating factor. However, the hospitality and tourism literature has not fully explored how Airbnb and traditional hotel brands are facilitating authentic travel experiences and the impact of these experiences on brand love and brand loyalty. In this study, we explore three elements of consumption authenticity and examine their how they interact in the context of an accommodation brand. Second, we compare the components of consumption authenticity across hotels and Airbnb, and examine their relative impact on brand love for these two segments of the accommodations industry. We found that hotels and Airbnb draw upon different sources of authenticity to create brand-loving customers. Our results indicated that Airbnb leverages brand, existential, and intrapersonal authenticity in creating brand-loving and brand-loyal customers, while hotels utilize only brand authenticity. Thus, the keys to creating customers who love and are loyal to the brand differ between hotels and Airbnb. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and areas of future research are identified.Accepted manuscrip

Consumption authenticity in the age of the sharing economy: The key to creating loyal customers who love your brand

Airbnb continues to gain popularity as an accommodation alternative to hotels, with the authenticity of the consumption experience being a critical differentiating factor. However, the hospitality literature has not fully explored whether and how brands in the sharing economy as well as traditional hotel brands are facilitating authentictravel experiences and the impact of these experiences on brand love and brand loyalty. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, we develop a model of consumption authenticity in the accommodations industry and identify, operationalize, and measure its components. Second, we examine the impact of consumption authenticity on brand love and brand loyalty in both hotels and Airbnb accommodations. By surveying 1,256 American participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk, we found that Airbnb leverages brand, existential, and intra-personal consumption authenticity in creating brand-loving and brand-loyal customers, while hotels utilize only brand authenticity. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and areas of future research are identified

Methods of producing singlet oxygen using compounds having improved functionalization

Novel texaphyrin compounds having improved functionalization are described. Metal complexes of these compounds are active as photosensitizers for the generation of singlet oxygen and thus are potentially useful for treatments performed with singlet oxygen. Several of the metallotexaphyrin complexes absorb light in the physiologically important range of 690-880 nm. The complexes form long-lived triplet states and thus may act as efficient photosensitizers for generation of singlet oxygen.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Water soluble texaphyrin metal complex preparation

The present invention involves water soluble hydroxy-substituted texaphyrins retaining lipophilicity, the synthesis of such compounds and their uses. These expanded porphyrin-like macrocycles are efficient chelators of divalent and trivalent metal ions. Various metal (e.g., transition, main group, and lanthanide) complexes of the hydroxy-substituted texaphyrin derivatives of the present invention have unusual water solubility and stability. They absorb light strongly in a physiologically important region (i.e. 690-880 nm). They have enhanced relaxivity and therefore are useful in magnetic resonance imaging. They form long-lived triplet states in high yield and act as photosensitizers for the generation of singlet oxygen. Thus, they are useful for inactivation or destruction of enveloped viruses, mononuclear or other cells infected with such viruses as well as tumor cells. They are water soluble, yet they retain sufficient lipophilicity so as to have greater affinity for lipid rich areas such as atheroma and tumors. They may be used for magnetic resonance imaging followed by photodynamic tumor therapy in the treatment of atheroma and tumors. These properties, coupled with their high chemical stability and appreciable solubility in water, add to their usefulness.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Water soluble texaphyrin metal complexes for enhancing relaxivity

The present invention involves water soluble hydroxy-substituted texaphyrins retaining lipophilicity, the synthesis of such compounds and their uses. These expanded porphyrin-like macrocycles are efficient chelators of divalent and trivalent metal ions. Various metal (e.g., transition, main group, and lanthanide) complexes of the hydroxy-substituted texaphyrin derivatives of the present invention have unusual water solubility and stability. They absorb light strongly in a physiologically important region (i.e. 690-880 nm). They have enhanced relaxivity and therefore are useful in magnetic resonance imaging. They form long-lived triplet states in high yield and act as photosensitizers for the generation of singlet oxygen. Thus, they are useful for inactivation or destruction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), mononuclear or other cells infected with such virus as well as tumor cells. They are water soluble, yet they retain sufficient lipophilicity so as to have greater affinity for lipid rich areas such as atheroma and tumors. They may be used for magnetic resonance imaging followed by photodynamic tumor therapy in the treatment of atheroma and tumors. These properties, coupled with their high chemical stability and appreciable solubility in water, add to their usefulness.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Hydroxylated texaphyrins

A method of using texaphyrins as radiosensitizers. Advantageous properties of texaphyrins for use as a radiosensitizer include i) a low redox potential which allows radiation induced solvated electrons to flow to texaphyrin rather than neutralizing hydroxyl radicals, allowing the hydroxyl radicals to cause cellular damage, ii) a relatively stable texaphyrin radical which, nevertheless, reacts readily to covalently modify neighboring molecules causing further cellular damage, and iii) intrinsic biolocalization and indifference to the presence of O.sub.2 which allow texaphyrin to be particularly effective for treating the hypoxic areas of solid tumors. Sensitizer enhancement ratios of 1.62 and 2.2 were achieved at 20 .mu.M and 80 .mu.M gadolinium-texaphyrin, respectively, with a mouse leukemia cell line. Methods of treatment for an individual having a tumor include the use of a texaphyrin as a radiosensitizer and as an agent for photodynamic tumor therapy, or the use of a texaphyrin for internal and for external ionizing radiation. New water soluble hydroxy-substituted texaphyrins are described.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Diffusion MR Characteristics Following Concurrent Radiochemotherapy Predicts Progression-Free and Overall Survival in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma.

The standard of care for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) is surgery, then radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent temozolomide (TMZ), followed by adjuvant TMZ. We hypothesized patients with low diffusivity measured using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis evaluated after RT+TMZ, prior to adjuvant TMZ, would have a significantly shorter progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). To test this hypothesis we evaluated 120 patients with newly diagnosed GBM receiving RT+TMZ followed by adjuvant TMZ. MRI was performed after completion of RT+TMZ, prior to initiation of adjuvant TMZ. A double Gaussian mixed model was used to describe the ADC histograms within the enhancing tumor, where ADCL and ADCH were defined as the mean ADC value of the lower and higher Gaussian distribution, respectively. An ADCL value of 1.0 um2/ms and ADCH value of 1.6 um2/ms were used to stratify patients into high and low risk categories. Results suggest patients with low ADCL had significantly shorter PFS (Cox Hazard Ratio = 0.12, P = 0.0006). OS was significantly shorter with low ADCL tumors, showing a median OS of 407 vs. 644 days (Cox Hazard Ratio = 0.31, P = 0.047). ADCH was not predictive of PFS or OS when accounting for age and ADCL. In summary, newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients with low ADCL after completion of RT+TMZ are likely to progress and die earlier than patients with higher ADCL. Results suggest ADC histogram analysis may be useful for patient risk stratification following completion of RT+TMZ