Context Effects as Customer Reaction on Delisting of Brands

The delisting of brands is frequently used by retailers to strengthen their negotiating position with the manufacturers and suppliers of their product assortment. However, retailers and manufacturers have to consider the risk of potential reactions when customers are faced with a reduced or modified assortment and thus, different choice. In this paper, two studies are presented which investigate customers` switching behavior if a (sub-)brand is unavailable and key determinants of the resulting behavior are discussed. Various conditions are tested by taking into account context theory. The results reveal that customer responses depend significantly on the context. A real-life quasi-experiment suggests that manufacturers may encounter substantially larger losses than retailers. Managerial implications for both parties can be derived and recommendations for further research are developed.Consumer decisions, delisting, context effects, switching behavior, retailing, logistic regression

Customer Reactions in Out-of-Stock Situations – Do promotion-induced phantom positions alleviate the similarity substitution hypothesis?

Out-of-Stock (OOS) is a prevalent problem customers face at the POS. In this paper, we demonstrate both theoretically and empirically how OOS-induced substitution patterns can be explained and predicted by means of context and phantom theory. We further analyze the relevance of promotions, for which OOS is most pronounced, as essential driver of differences in customers’ OOS reactions. The results of an online experiment demonstrate that customers substitute unavailable items in accordance to a negative similarity effect which is reduced, however, for OOS items on promotion. The empirical findings further suggest that customers’ OOS responses differ for promoted vs. non-promoted items. We find that customers being affected by a stock-out of promotional products significantly more often postpone purchases and tend to avoid substitution resulting in severe losses for the retailer. However, for non-promoted items, customers easily switch to alternative brands. That way, manufacturers lose profit and possibly loyal customers.Out-of-Stock, Context Effects, Phantoms, Promotion, Consumer Decision Making

Amazonische Moostiere (Bryozoa)

Die vorliegende Arbeit befaßt sich mit Süßwasserbryozoen aus Brasilien, die von Herrn Dr. E. J. Fittkau auf seinen Forschungsreisen in den Jahren 1960-63 und 1965 gesammelt worden sind. Es wird ein Üt,erbjick úber die bisher aus der neotropischen Region bekannten Arten (17 Arten und lJnterarten) nach der Literatur gegeben und das vorliegende Material abgehandelt. ßei Fredericella, wovon sehr geringes Material vorliegt, verbleibt es bei. der Feststellung der Gattung. Bei dem Plumatella-Materia| kommt der Verf. nach eingehender Diskussion zu d.em Ergebnis, daß es sich durchweg um Pl. jaaanica KxeBpBr.rN handelt, eine für Südamerika neue Art. Der umfangreichste Abschnitt der Arbeit ist dem Hisloþia-Material gewidmet; der Verf. geht ausführlich auf die Systematik und die Verbreitung der Gattung Histoþia ein und st"ellt alsd.ann die Merkmale heraus, die seiner Ansicht nach der Hisloþia d.es süd.amerikanischen Subkontinents (zum mindesten dem vorliegenden Material) im Vergleich mit den Arten Hisloþia lacustris, H, monilformis, H. cambodgiensis, H. mala4ensis eine Sonderstellung zuweisen, wobei es sich vor allem um das Merkmal der dorsaien Bedornung der Zooecien handelt, Als Artname wird die von Mane-Garzon ( 1959) gewählte Bezeichnung Hisloþia cortleroi beibehalten, bei welcher dieser Autor gleichfails eine dorsale Bedornung festgestellt hatte. schließlich werden noch Kaumagen und Knospung der Gattung mlupn Ëehrn_ delt. In den Literaturangaben wird versucht, eine möglichst vollstänãige Zuzammenstellung der Literatur über die südamerikanischen süßwasserbryozoen zu bringen

Scanning X-ray nanodiffraction: from the experimental approach towards spatially resolved scattering simulations

An enhancement on the method of X-ray diffraction simulations for applications using nanofocused hard X-ray beams is presented. We combine finite element method, kinematical scattering calculations, and a spot profile of the X-ray beam to simulate the diffraction of definite parts of semiconductor nanostructures. The spot profile could be acquired experimentally by X-ray ptychography. Simulation results are discussed and compared with corresponding X-ray nanodiffraction experiments on single SiGe dots and dot molecules

Clinical and virological characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in a German tertiary care centre during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a prospective observational study

Purpose: Adequate patient allocation is pivotal for optimal resource management in strained healthcare systems, and requires detailed knowledge of clinical and virological disease trajectories. The purpose of this work was to identify risk factors associated with need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), to analyse viral kinetics in patients with and without IMV and to provide a comprehensive description of clinical course. Methods: A cohort of 168 hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients enrolled in a prospective observational study at a large European tertiary care centre was analysed. Results: Forty-four per cent (71/161) of patients required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Shorter duration of symptoms before admission (aOR 1.22 per day less, 95% CI 1.10-1.37, p < 0.01) and history of hypertension (aOR 5.55, 95% CI 2.00-16.82, p < 0.01) were associated with need for IMV. Patients on IMV had higher maximal concentrations, slower decline rates, and longer shedding of SARS-CoV-2 than non-IMV patients (33 days, IQR 26-46.75, vs 18 days, IQR 16-46.75, respectively, p < 0.01). Median duration of hospitalisation was 9 days (IQR 6-15.5) for non-IMV and 49.5 days (IQR 36.8-82.5) for IMV patients. Conclusions: Our results indicate a short duration of symptoms before admission as a risk factor for severe disease that merits further investigation and different viral load kinetics in severely affected patients. Median duration of hospitalisation of IMV patients was longer than described for acute respiratory distress syndrome unrelated to COVID-19

Clinical and virological characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in a German tertiary care centre during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a prospective observational study.

Funder: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (1034)PURPOSE: Adequate patient allocation is pivotal for optimal resource management in strained healthcare systems, and requires detailed knowledge of clinical and virological disease trajectories. The purpose of this work was to identify risk factors associated with need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), to analyse viral kinetics in patients with and without IMV and to provide a comprehensive description of clinical course. METHODS: A cohort of 168 hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients enrolled in a prospective observational study at a large European tertiary care centre was analysed. RESULTS: Forty-four per cent (71/161) of patients required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Shorter duration of symptoms before admission (aOR 1.22 per day less, 95% CI 1.10-1.37, p < 0.01) and history of hypertension (aOR 5.55, 95% CI 2.00-16.82, p < 0.01) were associated with need for IMV. Patients on IMV had higher maximal concentrations, slower decline rates, and longer shedding of SARS-CoV-2 than non-IMV patients (33 days, IQR 26-46.75, vs 18 days, IQR 16-46.75, respectively, p < 0.01). Median duration of hospitalisation was 9 days (IQR 6-15.5) for non-IMV and 49.5 days (IQR 36.8-82.5) for IMV patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a short duration of symptoms before admission as a risk factor for severe disease that merits further investigation and different viral load kinetics in severely affected patients. Median duration of hospitalisation of IMV patients was longer than described for acute respiratory distress syndrome unrelated to COVID-19

Four essays on the context-dependence of consumer preferences in situations of reduced choice

Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht die Kontextabhängigkeit von Konsumentenpräferenzen in Folge eines Marktaustritts in 4 Aufsätzen. Aufsatz 1 diskutiert Auswirkungen einer Auslistung auf Kundenreaktionen. Zwei empirische Studien belegen die Existenz eines negativen Ähnlichkeits-, Attraktions- und Kompromisseffektes und zeigen wesentliche Determinanten einer markentreuen Reaktion auf. Aufsatz 2 bestätigt die Hypothesen über negative Kontexteffekte für Markeneliminierungen in verschiedenen experimentellen Situationen und Produktkategorien. Das sich ergebende Substitutionsverhalten resultiert durchweg in höheren Verlusten für Hersteller als für Händler. Aufsatz 3 diskutiert das Substitutionsverhalten in Out-of-Stock Situationen. Promotion wird hierbei als wesentlicher Einflussfaktor herangezogen. Verschiedene Online-Experimente demonstrieren einen negativen Ähnlichkeitseffekt für die temporäre Nichtverfügbarkeit von Produkten, welcher sich jedoch für preisreduzierte Güter des täglichen Bedarfs verringert. Werden ähnliche Substitute preislich reduziert angeboten, wird der negative Ähnlichkeitseffekt verstärkt. Der Effekt wird hingegen von einem Attraktionseffekt überlagert, wenn unähnliche Alternativen im Sonderangebot sind. Aufsatz 4 untersucht wesentliche Einflussfaktoren eines negativen Attraktionseffektes. In Anlehnung an das von Mishra et al. (1993) entwickelte Kausalmodell zur Neuprodukteinführung, wird ein adaptiertes ganzheitliches Strukturgleichungsmodell für den Marktaustritt getestet. Als wesentliche Treiber des betrachteten Phänomens resultieren die Konstrukte Anteil des Decoys, Präferenzstärke und Informationsrelevanz.This thesis investigates the context-dependence of preferences in consequence of market exits in 4 essays. Essay 1 discusses the effect of brand delisting on customer responses. On the basis of two empirical studies, the existence of a negative similarity, a negative attraction and a negative compromise effect is revealed and key determinants of a brand loyal reaction are analyzed. Essay 2 supports the hypotheses on negative context effects for brand removals across different experimental settings and product categories. The resultant switching patterns collectively lead to bigger damages for manufacturers than for retailers. Essay 3 investigates preference shifts in out-of-stock situations by including promotion as essential driver. A series of online experiments demonstrate that for temporal unavailability of products, substitution behavior correspond to a negative similarity effect which is, however, reduced for stock-outs of low involvement fast moving consumer goods on promotion. While the negative similarity effect is enforced for promotions of similar substitutes, it is ruled out by the simultaneous occurrence of an attraction effect when dissimilar substitutes are offered at a reduced price. Essay 4 studies important antecedent variables of the negative attraction effect. In reference to the causal model on product introduction developed by Mishra et al. (1993), an adapted holistic framework for product exit is tested by using structural equation modeling. The results emphasize decoy share, preference strength and information relevance as major drivers of the considered phenomenon

Context Effects as Customer Reaction on Delisting of Brands

The delisting of brands is frequently used by retailers to strengthen their negotiating position with the manufacturers and suppliers of their product assortment. However, retailers and manufacturers have to consider the risk of potential reactions when customers are faced with a reduced or modified assortment and thus, different choice. In this paper, two studies are presented which investigate customers` switching behavior if a (sub-)brand is unavailable and key determinants of the resulting behavior are discussed. Various conditions are tested by taking into account context theory. The results reveal that customer responses depend significantly on the context. A real-life quasi-experiment suggests that manufacturers may encounter substantially larger losses than retailers. Managerial implications for both parties can be derived and recommendations for further research are developed

Customer Reactions in Out-of-Stock Situations

Out-of-Stock (OOS) is a prevalent problem customers face at the POS. In this paper, we demonstrate both theoretically and empirically how OOS-induced substitution patterns can be explained and predicted by means of context and phantom theory. We further analyze the relevance of promotions, for which OOS is most pronounced, as essential driver of differences in customers’ OOS reactions. The results of an online experiment demonstrate that customers substitute unavailable items in accordance to a negative similarity effect which is reduced, however, for OOS items on promotion. The empirical findings further suggest that customers’ OOS responses differ for promoted vs. non-promoted items. We find that customers being affected by a stock-out of promotional products significantly more often postpone purchases and tend to avoid substitution resulting in severe losses for the retailer. However, for non-promoted items, customers easily switch to alternative brands. That way, manufacturers lose profit and possibly loyal customers