Happiness, altruism and the Prius effect : How do they influence consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing?

Purpose: Academic research and consumer polls often report strong consumer support for environmentally responsible products (ERPs), and yet the proportion of sales they account for is often comparatively small. The purpose of this paper is to address one of the purported reasons behind this “attitude-behaviour gap” by measuring the influence of six relatively untested factors on consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing (ERC). Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings: Of the six factors, four were found to have a significant influence on consumer attitudes: altruism, status enhancement, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and happiness. Originality/value: Altruism, environmental concern, PCE and self-identity have consistently featured in other environmental contexts, but less so in the specific context of ERC. Happiness and status enhancement have yet to appear in any study relating to the purchase of ERPs

The effect of positively framed and negatively framed messages on televised smoking cessation advertisement success : a systematic review

Background: Smoking cessation campaigns aim to decrease the prevalence of smoking in the community. However, smoking cessation campaigns can be expensive to develop and implement, therefore is it essential that campaigns have high impact and broad reach to ensure the most efficient use of resources. Method: A systematic review was conducted in October 2020 to assess the efficacy of positively framed and negatively framed messages used in televised smoking cessation advertisements. The search was restricted to quantitative primary research published between 2010 and 2020, yielding 4640 results. Study selection was performed using the PRISMA method. Population was inclusive of all ages and smoking status. A total of 15 articles met the criteria for review. Results: Negative messages were found to increase the likelihood of a smoker intending to quit, attempting to quit, successfully quitting, or calling a quitline, while some studies found that positive messages increased confidence to quit and calls to quitline. Combination of negative and positive messages were found to complement one another and were more successful at influencing quit behaviour than using either message type alone. However, findings were not consistent across all studies. Conclusion: The results of this review may be used to inform the development of future smoking cessation advertisements to ensure content is relevant, effective, and cost-efficient. Further exploration of the efficacy of positive and negative messages on target populations would be valuable to advise the design of cessation campaigns. © 2023 College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license

Strategic recommendations for new product adoption in the Chinese market

This study extended current understandings of the relationships among domain specific innovativeness (DSI), the desire for unique consumer products (DUCPs), perceived new product characteristics (PNPCs), and Chinese consumers’ new product adoption behavior. It also investigated the indirect effect of vicarious learning behavior on Chinese consumers’ acceptance of new products. Data was collected in Shanghai, China. The results demonstrated that DSI and PNPCs were the primary drivers of new product adoption. The study also showed that PNPCs played a mediating role in the relationship between vicarious learning and the adoption of new products by Chinese consumers. The results confirmed the predictive power of DSI and how PNPCs affect Chinese innovative buying behavior. The results also suggest that PNPCs facilitate Chinese consumers’ new product learning behavior. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Keep up the good work in research universities : an importance-performance analysis

The objective of this study was to measure academics’ perceptions towards three key dimensions of a higher education institution (HEI) – teaching quality, research quality and internationalisation – the latter two of which have received relatively scant attention in the context of service quality. Using five Malaysian universities as its context, and importance–performance analysis (IPA) as its method of analysis, the study found that the five universities performed well in relation to 14 of the 26 attributes. However, for each of the three dimensions there was a common theme in regards to the service attributes that fell short of expectations. In the case of teaching quality, this theme related to learning, for research quality it was research collaboration, and for internationalisation, it was international recognition. This study makes two key contributions to new knowledge. Firstly, it measures academic perceptions towards service quality as it relates to research and internationalisation, and secondly, it measures such perceptions using IPA. One of the key findings of the study is that the attitudes of those responsible for providing service quality (i.e. academics) may well differ from the HEI decision-makers that endeavour to manage it. © 2019 Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academ

Retail centre convenience : Its' influence over consumer patronage behaviour

The modern consumer seeks to maximise the value they derive from all their marketing exchanges. While there are two ways this can be achieved, current academic interest is typically focused on just one: increasing the hedonic benefits obtained from shopping. This study focuses on the other side of the equation: increasing value by decreasing the time, space and effort costs of shopping. Utilising a survey of consumer households, this study examines the importance of convenience in a multi-purpose shopping context. Analysis revealed that consumers prefer and visit most frequently, the retail form they consider most convenient. Moreover, the greater the convenience they associate with an attribute, the greater the importance they assign to it

The academic conceptualisation of ethical clothing : Could it account for the attitude behaviour gap?

Purpose: Despite supposed widespread consumer support for ethical clothing, it still often fails to translate into actual purchase. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the way in which academics have defined and measured ethical clothing could account for this. Design/methodology/approach: An over reliance on convenience sampling and the use of student samples has also been touted as a possible reason for this attitude-behaviour gap. To address this, this study employed a consumer household sample. It also used a quantitative survey approach to collect its data and structural equation modelling to analyse it. Findings: In contrast to the way in which academics have conceptualised the construct, consumer perceptions of ethical clothing were found to be influenced by four dimensions: environmental responsibility, employee welfare, animal welfare and slow fashion attributes. Originality/value: Ethical clothing has typically been operationalised using just two of these four dimensions. Ironically, one of the two dimensions often overlooked by academics – animal welfare – had the strongest influence on consumer perceptions. Previous academic efforts had never employed more than three dimensions, and yet the results of this study suggest that all four must be present if an item of clothing is to be regarded as “ethical”. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Building capacity for Quality Teaching Rounds – Victoria. Final report

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned by the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre (TTRC) at the University of Newcastle to conduct an independent randomised controlled trial (RCT), with the goal of examining effects of Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) on student outcomes and teachers’ practice in Victorian high schools. A total of 19 schools participated in Quality Teaching Rounds in 2022, with 20 schools in the wait list control. Data were gathered in an ongoing manner during the evaluation with: Progressive Assessment Tests in Mathematics (PAT-M) and reading (PAT-R) – baseline and follow up; student self-efficacy and aspiration surveys – baseline and follow up; teacher surveys – one questionnaire administered every term; implementation fidelity check surveys for teachers to complete for each QT Round; and implementation fidelity checks with onsite visits from ACER staff for 33% of the treatment schools. Key findings include: The mixed model analysis showed that treatment was not a significant predictor of PAT-R and PAT-M outcomes. Differences in student responses to the self-efficacy and aspiration surveys were identified. The control group showed a significant increase in the level of education that they aspired to complete (p = 0.037). Teachers in the control group had statistically significant growth in teacher efficacy, while those in the treatment group showed statistically significant lower teacher student support. Within the QTR process, the longest time was spent on discussing the coding and the individual coding process. Key observations identified from analysis of the fidelity check data are: teacher stress due to high rates of absenteeism, varied use of the Classroom Practice Guide, and analytical conversations about some elements and terms

Latrobe City Council Community Engagement Survey 2021 Analysis

As part of Latrobe City’s community engagement strategy, a survey was developed and distributed during May to June 2021, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to capture feedback and suggestions on how Latrobe City could be a better place to live, work, visit and play. The survey also invited residents to share their thoughts on current and future challenges for the City. A total of 1552 responses to the survey were received of which 69 were blank, with 1453 making up the final data set. This report highlights the findings from the survey. The majority of the participants were female (65%, n=744), 33% were from Traralgon, 35% from smaller townships with the remaining 32% from Moe, Newborough, Morwell and Churchill. The participants ranged in age from 17-30 years (15%), 31-40 years (27%), 41-70 years (43%) 70+ years (10%). The majority of the participants were employed in healthcare, education and administrative roles with 89% stating that they live and work in Latrobe City. Friends are family was cited as the most common reason why participants believed that Latrobe City was a good place, with Location in Victoria, Affordability and Natural environment rounding off the top four responses. The most common reason people gave for Latrobe City being a good place to work was Distance from home (n=504) and similarly the most common reason participants gave for it being a good place to study was Close to home. Safety, Economy and Built environment were considered the things most important for Latrobe City Council to focus on this was evident in both the quantitative and qualitative responses. A thematic analysis process was used to analyse the content from the six open-ended questions in the survey. Six main themes emerged; Employment, Safety, Transport, Education, Sport and Entertainment and Hope for the future

Pre-trilostane and 3-hour post-trilostane cortisol to monitor trilostane therapy in dogs

It is recommended that trilostane therapy of canine hyperadrenocorticism is monitored using an ACTH stimulation test, however this has never been validated. Three cortisol concentrations (pre-trilostane, 3-hour posttrilostane and 1-hour post-ACTH stimulation) were compared to a clinical score obtained from an owner questionnaire. There were 110 sets of 3 cortisol measurements and questionnaires obtained from 67 trilostane treated dogs. Questionnaire results were used to classify each dog as well or unwell. Well dogs were then categorised as having excellent, moderate or poor hyperadrenocorticism control, using thresholds produced by 14 independent veterinarians. Correlation co-efficients were used to compare the three cortisol concentrations to the owner score and the Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the three cortisol concentrations between categories of control. Cortisol cut-off values between significantly different categories were determined using ROC curves. Pre-trilostane and 3-hour post-trilostane cortisol were better correlated to the owner score and had cut-offs to differentiate between categories of control that had superior sensitivity and specificity results, than the post-ACTH cortisol. Iatrogenic hypoadrenocorticism was not detected in any unwell dog. This study shows that the pre-trilostane and 3-hour post-trilostane cortisol are potentially better monitoring methods than the ACTH stimulation test

The corona and companion of CoRoT-2A. Insights from X-rays and optical spectroscopy

CoRoT-2 is one of the most unusual planetary systems known to date. Its host star is exceptionally active, showing a pronounced, regular pattern of optical variability caused by magnetic activity. The transiting hot Jupiter, CoRoT-2b, shows one of the largest known radius anomalies. We analyze the properties and activity of CoRoT-2A in the optical and X-ray regime by means of a high-quality UVES spectrum and a 15 ks Chandra exposure both obtained during planetary transits. The UVES data are analyzed using various complementary methods of high-resolution stellar spectroscopy. We characterize the photosphere of the host star by deriving accurate stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, and abundances. Signatures of stellar activity, Li abundance, and interstellar absorption are investigated to provide constraints on the age and distance of CoRoT-2. Furthermore, our UVES data confirm the presence of a late-type stellar companion to CoRoT-2A that is gravitationally bound to the system. The Chandra data provide a clear detection of coronal X-ray emission from CoRoT-2A, for which we obtain an X-ray luminosity of 1.9e29 erg/s. The potential stellar companion remains undetected in X-rays. Our results indicate that the distance to the CoRoT-2 system is approximately 270 pc, and the most likely age lies between 100 and 300 Ma. Our X-ray observations show that the planet is immersed in an intense field of high-energy radiation. Surprisingly, CoRoT-2A's likely coeval stellar companion, which we find to be of late-K spectral type, remains X-ray dark. Yet, as a potential third body in the system, the companion could account for CoRoT-2b's slightly eccentric orbit.Comment: accepted for publication by A&