Antecedents and Consequences of Consumer Ethnocentrism Across Russia\u27s Three Sub-Cultures

Shimp and Sharma (1987) extended the concept of ethnocentrism to commercial products with the development of a 17-item Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale [CETSCALE]. Consumer ethnocentrism is the belief that purchasing imported products harms the local economy, increases unemployment, and is morally wrong (Skimp and Sharma 1987). Shimp and Sharma (1987) called for studies to determine antecedents to consumer ethnocentrism and to apply the CETSCALE across geographic and regional segments. This dissertation addresses a void in the literature by examining antecedents; Inglehart\u27s Materialism/Post Materialism (1977) and Holbrook\u27s Nostalgia (1993), and outcome variables; product purchase preference, of consumer ethnocentrism across sub-cultures postulated to exist in Russia today. This research considers the Russian market to be multidimensional with parallel, although significantly different, markets. These markets are three co-existing cultures: Traditional Russian Culture, The Industrial Sub-Culture, and The Emerging Technocratic Culture (Mikheyev 1996). These sub-cultures are defined by differing levels of temperament, sociopolitical mentalities, and access to different forms of power (Mikheyev 1996). Structural Equations Modeling and Hierarchical Linear Modeling were used to test ten main hypotheses. In total, five hundred surveys were collected, evenly split among Russia\u27s three sub-cultures. This research contributes to literature by furthering an understanding of the CETSCALE and refining research techniques in Transitional Economies. There are four main contributions. First, this research identifies that although antecedents may appear to be significant throughout an entire nation they actually are significant in select sub-cultures while being insignificant in other sub-cultures. Second, significant differences for product purchase preference (imported versus domestically-produced) exist between various product groups. Third, product purchase preference (imported versus domestically-produced) for product groups differs among sub-cultures throughout Russia. Fourth, the CETSCALE itself differs in its ability to explain product purchase intent for different product groups and among sub-cultures. This research expands the understanding of the CETSCALE by identifying antecedents and linking the predictability power of the CETSCALE to product purchase intent of different product types. In addition, it has also identified that in transitional economies sharp differences exist among sub-cultures regarding the interpretation of various constructs and the strength of the relationships between those constructs

How Political Ideology Impacts Political Brand Image: Analysis of the 2016, 2018, and 2020 Elections

The U.S. presidential elections of 2016 and 2020 have both been characterized as “An Election like No Other” (Goodman 2020; Smith 2016) unparalleled to previous ones. The 2016 election saw an outsider, not an established politician, win the support of a major political party and eventually the presidency. The 2020 election was influenced by a once in a century pandemic that diminished all traditional election issues and greatly affected the nature of campaigning. This research examines whether political ideology played an invariant and stable role in shaping the brand image of the presidential election candidates. Analysis of 2016, 2018, and 2020 data sets identifies ten aspects of political ideology, finds that they are a significant determinant of the brand image of candidates in both elections, and concludes which aspects are stable versus unstable. The findings will help political marketers and researchers to create the strong brand image of political candidates, providing insights into the future U.S. presidential as well as overall election strategies

High-Input Management Systems Effect on Soybean Seed Yield, Yield Components, and Economic Break-Even Probabilities

Elevated soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] prices have spurred interest in maximizing soybean seed yield and has led growers to increase the number of inputs in their production systems. However, little information exists about the effects of high-input management on soybean yield and profitability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of individual inputs, as well as combinations of inputs marketed to protect or increase soybean seed yield, yield components, and economic break-even probabilities. Studies were established in nine states and three soybean growing regions (North, Central, and South) between 2012 and 2014. In each site-year both individual inputs and combination high-input (SOYA) management systems were tested. When averaged between 2012 and 2014, regional results showed no seed yield responses in the South region, but multiple inputs affected seed yield in the North region. In general, the combination SOYA inputs resulted in the greatest yield increases (up to 12%) compared to standard management, but Bayesian economic analysis indicated SOYA had low break-even probabilities. Foliar insecticide had the greatest break-even probabilities across all environments, although insect pressure was generally low across all site-years. Soybean producers in North region are likely to realize a greater response from increased inputs, but producers across all regions should carefully evaluate adding inputs to their soybean management systems and ensure that they continue to follow the principles of integrated pest management

Characterizing Genotype X Management Interactions on Soybean Seed Yield

Increased soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] commodity prices in recent years have generated interest in high-input systems to increase yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of current, high-yielding cultivars under high- and low-input systems on soybean yield and yield components. Research trials were conducted at 19 locations spanning nine states from 2012 to 2014. At each location, six high-yielding cultivars were grown under three input systems: (i) standard practice (SP, current recommended practices), (ii) high-input treatment consisting of a seed treatment fungicide, insecticide, nematistat, inoculant, and lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO); soil-applied N fertilizer; foliar LCO, fertilizer, antioxidant, fungicide and insecticide (SOYA), and (iii) SOYA minus foliar fungicide (SOYA-FF). An individual site-year yield analysis found only 3 of 53 (5.7%) site-years examined had a significant cultivar × input system interaction, suggesting cultivar selection and input system decisions can remain independent. Across all site-years, the SOYA and SOYA-FF treatments yielded 231 (5.5%) and 147 kg ha–1 (3.5%) more than the SP, and input system differences were found among maturity groups. Yield component measurements (seeds m–2, seed mass, early-season and final plant stand, pods plant–1, and seeds pod–1) indicated positive yield responses were due to increased seeds m–2 and seed mass. While both high-input systems increased yield on average, grower return on investment (ROI) would be negative given today’s commodity prices. These results further support the use of integrated pest management principles for making input decisions instead of using prophylactic applications to maximize soybean yield and profitability

Assessing Variation in US Soybean Seed Composition (Protein and Oil)

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed composition and yield are a function of genetics (G), environment (E), and management (M) practices, but contribution of each factor to seed composition and yield are not well understood. The goal of this synthesis-analysis was to identify the main effects of G, E, and M factors on seed composition (protein and oil concentration) and yield. The entire dataset (13,574 data points) consisted of 21 studies conducted across the United States (US) between 2002 and 2017 with varying treatments and all reporting seed yield and composition. Environment (E), defined as site-year, was the dominant factor accounting for more than 70% of the variation for both seed composition and yield. Of the crop management factors: (i) delayed planting date decreased oil concentration by 0.007 to 0.06% per delayed week (R2∼0.70) and a 0.01 to 0.04 Mg ha-1 decline in seed yield per week, mainly in northern latitudes (40–45 N); (ii) crop rotation (corn-soybean) resulted in an overall positive impact for both seed composition and yield (1.60 Mg ha-1 positive yield difference relative to continuous soybean); and (iii) other management practices such as no-till, seed treatment, foliar nutrient application, and fungicide showed mixed results. Fertilizer N application in lower quantities (10–50 kg N ha-1) increased both oil and protein concentration, but seed yield was improved with rates above 100 kg N ha-1. At southern latitudes (30–35 N), trends of reduction in oil and increases in protein concentrations with later maturity groups (MG, from 3 to 7) was found. Continuing coordinated research is critical to advance our understanding of G × E × M interactions

Flying to Quality: Cultural Influences on Online Reviews

Customers increasingly consult opinions expressed online before making their final decisions. However, inherent factors such as culture may moderate the criteria and the weights individuals use to form their expectations and evaluations. Therefore, not all opinions expressed online match customers’ personal preferences, neither can firms use this information to deduce general conclusions. Our study explores this issue in the context of airline services using Hofstede’s framework as a theoretical anchor. We gauge the effect of each dimension as well as that of cultural distance between the passenger and the airline on the overall satisfaction with the flight as well as specific service factors. Using topic modeling, we also capture the effect of culture on review text and identify factors that are not captured by conventional rating scales. Our results provide significant insights for airline managers about service factors that affect more passengers from specific cultures leading to higher satisfaction/dissatisfaction

What a Trip! How Patients Evaluate Centers of Excellence in the Medical Tourism Industry: An Abstract

Employers and insurance companies are increasingly offering patients various options for having surgical procedures performed and have been turning to “centers of excellence” that are renown for specific procedures resulting in better quality treatment than found at local hospitals. Medical tourism is also an option that has become more popular among employers and patients. Breadth and depth of healthcare marketing research is growing as the importance of marketing to healthcare organizations continues to increase (Crié and Chebat 2013) and research efforts in the area of healthcare marketing have been very informative investigating the fields of medical tourism, health marketing communication, strategic management and marketing in healthcare, pharmaceutical marketing, service quality, dietary habits, and the growing field of digital healthcare (Butt et al. 2019). However, research into the healthcare field requires industry-specific insight and knowledge (Stremersch and Van Dyck 2009). Thus, a greater understanding is needed regarding how perspective patients generally perceive the risks associated with each of these options with respect to the type of surgery being performed. This research seeks to make theoretical contributions about the nature and determinants of customer expectations of service in the healthcare context via Zeithaml et al. (1993) conceptual framework. We employed a mixed methods design collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, which seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of patient evaluation and expectations of service in the medical tourism industry. Within-subjects 2 × 3 experimental design format was employed altering the type of surgery performed and the location of the surgery along with financial responsibilities/incentives. The findings can better communicate the benefits of healthcare tourism while minimizing perceived risks. Service providers can work to re-define country of origin effects related to their specific healthcare service by showcasing awards, credentials, and advertising where their doctors received their degrees. To mitigate fearful emotions, service providers can also increase communications between the healthcare service providers and the patients to put them at ease through calming “bed-side manner”

Patient Consideration of Local Hospital, Center of Excellence, and Medical Tourism Options for Surgery

This research analyzes factors that patients consider when offered the option to have surgeries (knee-replacement or heart bypass) at one of three locations (local hospital, Center of Excellence hospital, or Medical Tourism) with financial incentives varying based on location/surgery. Quantitative and qualitative results, based on a national online survey of respondents over 45 years old, found a significant relationship between perceived risk and satisfaction based on location of the surgery. However, specific individual factors, such as personal responsibilities, concerns with travel, perception of healthcare quality, are found to impact patient location preference for surgery