Biomechanical Analysis of Postural Sway in Elderly Adults on Ramps

This study investigated the effects of ramp angles on postural deviation as a function of age. Five ramp inclinations (1:8, 1:10, 1:12, 1:16, and 1:20) were examined in both ascent and descent directions. Five younger (22 to 28 years) and five older (78 to 88 years) adults participated in the study. Video-based motion analysis was used to measure torso and hip angles while participants walked on an adjustable inclined ramp. Both young and older participants had a significant increase in torso angle across ramp slopes from ascent to descent. In addition, the data indicated that older participants tended to lean to the right while walking while the young participants leaned to the left. Measurements of hip angle revealed that young participants had significantly greater hip movement than older participants and that hip angle decreased significantly as participants transitioned from descent to ascent trials. Based on the data observed, it is possible that ramp descent is more problematic for elderly adults. However, within the ramp conditions evaluated, the data were unable to clearly discriminate between ramp slopes beyond identifying differences between slopes of ascent and descent.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Towards an understanding of internet-based problem shopping behaviour: the concept of online shopping addiction and its proposed predictors

Abstract Background Compulsive and addictive forms of consumption and buying behaviour have been researched in both business and medical literature. Shopping enabled via the Internet now introduces new features to the shopping experience that translate to positive benefits for the shopper. Evidence now suggests that this new shopping experience may lead to problematic online shopping behaviour. This paper provides a theoretical review of the literature relevant to online shopping addiction (OSA). Based on this selective review, a conceptual model of OSA is presented. Method The selective review of the literature draws on searches within databases relevant to both clinical and consumer behaviour literature including EBSCO, ABI Pro-Quest, Web of Science — Social Citations Index, Medline, PsycINFO and Pubmed. The article reviews current thinking on problematic, and specifically addictive, behaviour in relation to online shopping. Results The review of the literature enables the extension of existing knowledge into the Internet-context. A conceptual model of OSA is developed with theoretical support provided for the inclusion of 7 predictor variables: low self-esteem, low self-regulation; negative emotional state; enjoyment; female gender; social anonymity and cognitive overload. The construct of OSA is defined and six component criteria of OSA are proposed based on established technological addiction criteria. Conclusions Current Internet-based shopping experiences may trigger problematic behaviours which can be classified on a spectrum which at the extreme end incorporates OSA. The development of a conceptual model provides a basis for the future measurement and testing of proposed predictor variables and the outcome variable OSA

E-commerce ethics and its impact on buyer repurchase intentions and loyalty: an empirical study of small and medium Egyptian businesses

The theoretical understanding of e-commerce has received much attention over the years; however, relatively little focus has been directed towards e-commerce ethics, especially the SMEs B2B e-commerce aspect. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a framework that explains the impact of SMEs B2B e-commerce ethics on buyer repurchase intentions and loyalty. Using SEM to analyse the data collected from a sample of SME e-commerce firms in Egypt, the results indicate that buyers’ perceptions of supplier ethics construct is composed of six dimensions (security, non-deception, fulfilment/reliability, service recovery, shared value, and communication) and strongly predictive of online buyer repurchase intentions and loyalty. Furthermore, our results also show that reliability/fulfilment and non-deception are the most effective relationship-building dimensions. In addition, relationship quality has a positive effect on buyer repurchase intentions and loyalty. The results offer important implications for B2B e-commerce and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of relationship marketing