How globalisation affects consumers: Insights from thirty years of CCT globalisation research

Understanding how globalisation affects consumers is a key concern of international marketing research. Consumer culture theory (CCT) studies contribute to this stream of research by critically examining how globalisation affects consumers under different cultural conditions. We offer a systematic narrative synthesis of thirty years of CCT globalisation research to gain perspective on this important stream of research. We identify three theoretical perspectives – i.e., homogenisation, glocalisation and deterritorialisation – that have shaped the ways in which CCT scholars have approached globalisation phenomena. We discuss each perspective with regards to its underlying notion of culture, its assumptions of power relations between countries and the role that it ascribes to individuals in globalisation processes. We problematise these perspectives and show how CCT research has challenged and extended each perspective, focusing specifically on consumer empowerment, consumer identity and the symbolic meaning of global brands as substantial domains. Lastly, we discuss avenues for future consumer cultural globalisation research

CROWN-TO-ROOT RATIO IN ENDODONTIC SURGERY: A SURVIVAL STUDY

Aim: to assess the influence of the crown height (CH), root length (RL) and crown-to-root ratio (CRR) on the survival of te- eth subjected to surgical endodontic retreatment and classi- fied as periapically healed. Methods: a single operator performed all the endodontic mi- crosurgery interventions. The present analysis selected the te- eth classified as ‘‘complete periapical healing’’ according to the Molven-Halse-Grung scale. The periapical radiographs were analyzed by two independent calibrated examiners, who measured CH and RL in a blind manner. The CRR was calcula- ted as the ratio of the two variables CH and RL. The measure- ments were performed by comparing the post-operative radio- graphs (t0) with those taken for a previous retrospective analysis (t1) and the most recent available (t2). An independent statistician conducted a survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier plots and a log-rank test (a = 0.05). Results: thirty-eight patients were evaluated, each one contri- buting to the study with a single tooth. The mean follow-up pe- riod was 5,96 ± 3,36 years. Comparing the CRR and RL values between t1 and t2, the difference was found statistically signifi- cant (p = 0.03). Survival was improved for the teeth with roots longer than 7 mm. There were no statistically significant diffe- rences among the remaining comparisons. Conclusions: root length ≥ 7mm exhibited better chances of long-term survival. Over time, a risk of further decrease of cli- nical RL due to periodontal disease and consequent increase of CRR could be critical by a mechanical point of view. Other studies are needed

Fertility preservation in ovarian tumours

A considerable number of patients with a cancer diagnosis are of childbearing age and have not satisfied their desire for a family. Despite ovarian cancer (OC) usually occurring in older patients, 3%–14% are diagnosed at a fertile age with the overall 5-year survival rate being 91.2% in women ≤44 years of age when it is found at 1A–B stage. In this scenario, testing the safety and the efficacy of fertility sparing strategies in OC patients is very important overall in terms of quality of life. Unfortunately, the lack of randomised trials to validate conservative approaches does not guarantee the safety of fertility preservation strategies. However, evidence-based data from descriptive series suggest that in selected cases, the preservation of the uterus and at least one part of the ovary does not lead to a high risk of relapse. This conservative surgery helps to maintain organ function, giving patients of childbearing age the possibility to preserve their fertility. We hereby analysed the main evidence from the international literature on this topic in order to highlight the selected criteria for conservative management of OC patients, including healthy BRCA mutations carriers

The democratization of the status game

Consumption has traditionally been a reliable indicator of one’s social status in society. In today’s marketplace, however, the sharing and digital economies are making signifiers of affluence and high culture more accessible than ever, and the markers that denote one’s position in the status game are becoming increasingly blurred. We posit that in an increasingly digitalized and platformized social and material world, the market changes and democratizes the status game. It emerges as a catalyst for adaptability, enabling more people than before to transcend or reshape embodied resources and emulate high status positions more easily. This does not mean that social class has lost its role; rather it puts into question what is considered a high-status possession, occupation or practice and propels the emergence of new cultural scripts that alter the rules of status signification. In this essay, we outline these dynamics and suggest directions for future research

Enantiospecific pharmacokinetics of intravenous dexmedetomidine in beagles

The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) behaviour of dexmedetomidine in dogs administered as a pure enantiomer versus as part of a racemic mixture. Eight unmedicated intact purpose-bread beagles were included. Two intravenous treatments of either medetomidine or dexmedetomidine were administered at 10- to 14-day intervals. Atipamezole or saline solution was administered intramuscularly 45 min later. Venous blood samples were collected into EDTA collection tubes, and the quantification of dexmedetomidine and levomedetomidine was performed by chiral LC–MS/MS. All dogs appeared sedated after each treatment without complication. Plasma concentrations of levomedetomidine were measured only in the racemic group and were 51.4% (51.4%–56.1%) lower than dexmedetomidine. Non-compartmental analysis (NCA) was performed for both drugs, while dexmedetomidine data were further described using a population pharmacokinetic approach. A standard two-compartment mammillary model with linear elimination with combined additive and multiplicative error model for residual unexplained variability was established for dexmedetomidine. An exponential model was finally retained to describe inter-individual variability on parameters of clearance (Cl1) and central and peripheral volumes of distribution (V1, V2). No effect of occurrence, levomedetomidine or atipamezole could be observed on dexmedetomidine PK parameters. Dexmedetomidine did not undergo significantly different PK when administered alone or as part of the racemic mixture in otherwise unmedicated dogs

Does Bentonite Cause Cytotoxic and Whole-Transcriptomic Adverse Effects in Enterocytes When Used to Reduce Aflatoxin B1 Exposure?

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a major food safety concern, threatening the health of humans and animals. Bentonite (BEN) is an aluminosilicate clay used as a feed additive to reduce AFB1 presence in contaminated feedstuff. So far, few studies have characterized BEN toxicity and efficacy in vitro. In this study, cytotoxicity (WST-1 test), the effects on cell permeability (trans-epithelial electrical resistance and lucifer yellow dye incorporation), and transcriptional changes (RNA-seq) caused by BEN, AFB1 and their combination (AFB1 + BEN) were investigated in Caco-2 cells. Up to 0.1 mg/mL, BEN did not affect cell viability and permeability, but it reduced AFB1 cytotoxicity; however, at higher concentrations, BEN was cytotoxic. As to RNA-seq, 0.1 mg/mL BEN did not show effects on cell transcriptome, confirming that the interaction between BEN and AFB1 occurs in the medium. Data from AFB1 and AFB1 + BEN suggested AFB1 provoked most of the transcriptional changes, whereas BEN was preventive. The most interesting AFB1-targeted pathways for which BEN was effective were cell integrity, xenobiotic metabolism and transporters, basal metabolism, inflammation and immune response, p53 biological network, apoptosis and carcinogenesis. To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the in vitro toxicity and whole-transcriptomic effects of BEN, alone or in the presence of AFB1

Domain ontology for digital marketplaces

Recently the sharing economy has emerged as a viable alternative to fulfilling a variety of consumer needs. As there is no consensus on the definition of ‘sharing economy’ we use the term ‘marketplace’ to refer more specifically to Internet/software-based sharing economy platforms connecting two different market segments. In the field of sharing economy and marketplaces we found a research gap concerning the (socio)technological aspects and the development of marketplaces. A marketplace ontology can help to have a clear account of marketplace concepts which will facilitate communication, consensus and alignment. In this paper we design this marketplace ontology in four steps. First the selection of UFO as foundation and UFO-S as core ontology. Second the search for a set of minimal conditions and properties common for marketplaces and the derivation into competency questions. Third, use the competency questions to identify fragmented sub-ontology pieces called Domain-Related Ontology Patterns (DROPs) and apply them informally by extending UFO-S concepts to design a marketplace domain ontology. This marketplace domain ontology is represented in OntoUML. The last step is the validation of the OntoUML model using expert knowledge

The value in de-emphasizing structure in liquidity

In the set of commentaries on liquidity entitled “The continuing significance of social structure in liquid modernity,” three sets of authors set out to examine the relationship between liquidity and structure, value, and distinction. In doing so, they attempt to marry theories which argue against sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s central thesis that societal structures are shifting with his seminal construct of liquidity, an exercise that has mixed results. All three sets of authors have engaged with Bauman’s conceptualization of liquid modernity as well as our conceptualization of liquid consumption and its consequences. In this response to the commentaries, we clarify how we understand Bauman and how we have used his ideas in our theorizing, engage with the three sets of author’s advocacy for emphasizing the continuing relevance of structure within liquidity, and, finally, sum up how de-emphasizing structure has and can continue to lead to important new insights in marketing theory

The Intentional Use of Service Recovery Strategies to Influence Consumer Emotion, Cognition and Behaviour

Service recovery strategies have been identified as a critical factor in the success of. service organizations. This study develops a conceptual frame work to investigate how specific service recovery strategies influence the emotional, cognitive and negative behavioural responses of . consumers., as well as how emotion and cognition influence negative behavior. Understanding the impact of specific service recovery strategies will allow service providers' to more deliberately and intentionally engage in strategies that result in positive organizational outcomes. This study was conducted using a 2 x 2 between-subjects quasi-experimental design. The results suggest that service recovery has a significant impact on emotion, cognition and negative behavior. Similarly, satisfaction, negative emotion and positive emotion all influence negative behavior but distributive justice has no effect

Materializing digital collecting: an extended view of digital materiality

If digital objects are abundant and ubiquitous, why should consumers pay for, much less collect them? The qualities of digital code present numerous challenges for collecting, yet digital collecting can and does occur. We explore the role of companies in constructing digital consumption objects that encourage and support collecting behaviours, identifying material configuration techniques that materialise these objects as elusive and authentic. Such techniques, we argue, may facilitate those pleasures of collecting otherwise absent in the digital realm. We extend theories of collecting by highlighting the role of objects and the companies that construct them in materialising digital collecting. More broadly, we extend theories of digital materiality by highlighting processes of digital material configuration that occur in the pre-objectification phase of materialisation, acknowledging the role of marketing and design in shaping the qualities exhibited by digital consumption objects and consequently related consumption behaviours and experiences