Foreign food consumption as an extraordinary experience: A comparative study on the perceived value of Japanese and Thai consumers

The purpose of this research is to explore the perceived value of extraordinary experience and compare it with an ordinary one in the context of food consumption. We examine how Japanese and Thai people perceive local ordinary food and foreign extraordinary food. We used a perceived value scale and past experience for independent variables and customers\u27 general attitudes for dependent variable. We collect survey data in Japan and Thailand and conduct analyses by PLS-SEM. Five factors are extracted as elements of perceived value. The most influential factor of Japanese attitudes toward local food is conditional value, followed by emotional and epistemic value and menu variety. Conversely, value for money is the only factor that affects Thai customers\u27 attitudes. In the case of foreign food, Japanese respondents are most affected by emotional and epistemic value, followed by functional value (quality), and menu variety. Past experience has a significant negative effect on consumers\u27 attitude. For Thai respondents, emotional and epistemic value is the most influential factor, followed by functional value (value for money), and past experience. We found significant differences of perceived value of local food and foreign foods

Metrics-Driven Climate and Metrics-Based Activities as an Organizational Processes to Complement MPM system in the Firm

We have learned that the marketing performance measurement (hereinafter MPM) does matter from the growing accumulation of the recent research. Marketing needs an appropriate set of metrics to plan, check and correct their marketing actions. How can then the use of MPM can be radicated in the organization? Although marketing research stream have developed marketing metrics and linked metric use to firm performance, there is little understanding of what promotes the use of marketing metrics in an organization. We observe many cases where the metrics cannot be well rooted in the organization because of the cultural resistance, irrelevance to the actual marketing activities, and the departmental conflict. We search into the organizational factors which help the use of MPM to be rooted in the firm. Our research investigates the factors that promote the use of marketing metrics in an organization. As antecedents of marketing metrics use, we consider two aspects of organization, objective aspect and subjective aspect. As objective organization aspect, comprehensiveness of marketing performance measurement system (hereinafter CMPMS) is thought to be a crucial antecedent of marketing metrics use. We also focus on employees’ subjective environment—the organizational climate, which is defined as employees’ shared perceptions. Our basic hypothesis are as follows: firstly, CMPMS has a positive influence on metrics-based marketing activities; second, a metrics-driven climate has a positive influence on metrics-based marketing activities; third, metrics-based marketing activities have a positive influence on marketing-mix activity performance. Our research used survey data collected from 824 managers with marketing-related responsibilities. The data was analyzed using structural equation modelling to test a conceptual model grounded in the marketing metrics and organizational climate literature. Through its examination of the model, this paper demonstrates that, in addition to the presence of comprehensive marketing performance measures, a metrics-driven organizational climate and metrics-based marketing activities are key mechanisms that accentuate the use of marketing metrics in an organization. Our results demonstrate that a marketing metrics-driven climate is significantly related to metrics-based marketing activities, and that metrics-based marketing activities have a significantly positive influence on marketing mix performance. In contrast, the comprehensiveness of marketing performance measurement exhibits a significantly negative influence on metrics-based marketing activities, but has a direct, positive effect on marketing mix activity performance

Dysfunction from Focusing on Overseas Business

For this study, a questionnaire survey was administered to 824 people who had been posted overseas for at least one year (657 of whom had been involved in a business for the overseas market) in order to explore the factors behind the success of an overseas business. The results made clear, on one hand, that if Japanese companies focus on an overseas business, by, for example, defining the objectives and roles of the business, investing in market research, and posting core personnel abroad, they reach desirable outcomes, but, on the other hand, those outcomes are adversely affected when companies define the objectives and roles prior to conducting market research. A focus on overseas business increases personnel’s organizational identification with his or her headquarters and with the overseas business unit. However, dysfunction occurs when personnel feel high organizational identification with the overseas business unit, and that they are not expected to show customer-oriented behavior. According to our additional analyses, this dysfunction of organizational identification emerges when one perceives a weak identity of one’s organization.

Calcium Phosphate Composition Affects Ureteroscopic Laser Lithotripsy

The effects of stone composition on transurethral lithotripsy (TUL) have not been sufficiently elucidated. The purpose of this study was to identify how calcium phosphate stone composition impacts TUL. Two hundred eighty-nine cases of semi-rigid and/or flexible TUL for upper urinary tract calculi were reviewed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria were a preoperative assessment by noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) and a stone composition analysis. Small stones and those without calcium composition were excluded. Stone core radiodensity (SCR) was measured by taking the average of the upper 3 of 5 points in the proximity of the center of the stone on NCCT. Fifty-three patients with calcium phosphate composition (CaP) and 118 patients with calcium oxalate and without phosphate composition were eligible for analysis. SCR was significantly higher in the CaP group (p<0.01). The CaP patient group needed a significantly longer operation time (p=0.014) and more laser energy (p=0.085), and tended to have a lower rate of complete lithotripsy (p=0.096) and higher incidence of postoperative pyelonephritis (p=0.181). Stones containing calcium phosphate are harder, demand more laser energy, and require a longer operating time. NCCT evaluation can estimate stone composition preoperatively, and may be a useful tool for predicting operative outcomes

Culture and Marketing

Culture is one of the key concepts in marketing and consumer behavior research. The relationship between culture and marketing is diverse: not only does culture influence marketing activities and consumer behavior, but marketing also creates culture/subculture and companies sell cultural contents and use culture in their marketing activities. This special issue presents four studies that focus on the diverse aspects of culture and marketing

A patient with psittacosis from a pigeon: A reminder of the importance of detailed interviews and relative bradycardia

A 43-year-old man was brought to our hospital with fever. The initial diagnosis was bacterial pneumonia, and ampicillin/sulbactam was administered. However, defervescence was not achieved, and relative bradycardia was observed. Detailed history-taking revealed that the patient had been involved in caring for a wild pigeon before hospitalization. We changed the antimicrobial therapy to minocycline and the patient’ s condition improved. Chlamydophila psittaci antibody was subsequently found to be increased four-fold, and psittacosis was diagnosed. This case acts a reminder to clinicians of the importance of both the history of exposure to any birds and vital signs, including relative bradycardia

Selenoprotein L-inspired nano-vesicular peroxidase mimics based on amphiphilic diselenides

In this study, we developed selenoprotein L-inspired nano-vesicular peroxidase mimics based on amphiphilic diselenides. Selenocystine (SeCyst) was used as the starting material for the synthesis of four liposomal membrane-compatible diselenide derivatives (R?Se?Se?R’) with two hydrophobic tails and a polar part. The diselenide derivatives were successfully incorporated into the phosphatidylcholine (PC)-based nano-vesicular scaffold. The results of the particle diameter and zeta-potential measurements suggested that the functional diselenide moiety was placed around the outer surface, not in the hydrophobic interior, of the liposomal membrane structures. The GPx-like catalytic activity of the diselenide/PC liposomes was determined by the conventional NADPH method using glutathione as the reducing substrate. For three peroxide substrates, i.e., hydrogen peroxide, organic tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cummen hydroperoxide, the cationic property-possessing diselenide derivatives in the PC-based liposomes resulted in a higher catalytic activity in comparison to electrically neutral and anionic derivatives. Overall, the diselenide derivatives at the surface of a liposomal colloidal scaffold could exert a GPx-like catalytic activity in physiological aqueous media