Can consumer privacy concern be a thorn for loyalty programs?

Every day, large amounts of personal information are collected by private companies from consumers through multiple sources. Loyalty programs are one of the most popular tools, used to gather such information. Information that is used to offer more personalised options and to target more effectively their promotions. However, many consumers are still attracted to such programs because of the rewards and other benefits offered. Privacy concerns over loyalty programs seem to take their toll. According to a Colloquy (2015) report the numbers of active members is dropping and one of the main reasons cited in the report is privacy concerns. Declining numbers and increased privacy concerns raise the question of how concerned consumers appreciate the benefits offered by loyalty programs and how their satisfaction and loyalty are affected. Apparently, loyalty programs cannot always guarantee loyalty (Nielsen, 2013) as a large portion of consumers demand better protection of their privacy (Madden, 2014) and decline to subscribe to such programs over privacy concerns (Maritz, 2013). The objectives of this study are firstly to examine the underlying reasons behind consumers’ privacy perceptions and secondly to investigate how such perceptions alter consumers’ appraisal of the benefits offered by the loyalty program as well as satisfaction with the program and consumer loyalty. Based on a review of the relevant literature a set of testable hypotheses was developed. To test the hypothesised relationships, survey data were collected from a sample of 984 consumers through an online panel in US. Structural Equation modelling and mediation analysis were the main statistical techniques used. Analysis revealed a strong effect of privacy perceptions on both the perceived value of the program’s benefits and satisfaction with the program. Results suggested that retailers should place more emphasis on the perceived control of information rather than trying to soften consumers perceptions of the risks related to privacy. Additionally the total effects of perceived privacy to both satisfaction with the program and loyalty are substantial and cannot be ignored by practitioners. One implication is that companies should provide clearer privacy policies, more transparency and more power to their customers. The loyalty program benefit perceptions that are affected more by information control and perceived risk are the symbolic and hedonic benefits. Utilitarian benefits appear to be affected to a lesser extent. In general it was revealed that the total impact of hedonic and symbolic benefits on customer loyalty is significantly higher than that of the utilitarian benefits. Hence, practitioners should look carefully on the structure of the hedonic and symbolic benefits in conjunction to their consumer privacy policy

Service Variation Model in Customer Relationships

This thesis examines the variations of customer relationships across different types of services and it contributes the existing knowledge of service marketing in three main ways. First, it identifies and brings together a coherent and exhaustive set of drivers that can explain repeat purchase behaviours. Second, it identifies the relational bonds which can strengthen or weaken service relationships and repurchase intentions through different service actions. Third, drawing on Theory of Planned Behaviour, it develops a new comprehensive and integrative conceptual framework, applicable to the service variation context. A preliminary qualitative research was conducted based on sixty in-depth interviews in order to explore whether service variations exist and get insights on the key components of the new framework from a customer perspective. The adopted model was then empirically tested through a large-scale quantitative research in a random sample in London, providing new perspectives on services relationships. Through this empirical research the boundary conditions of the proposed framework were tested by accounting for different service types, based on four distinct service typologies. The results suggest that relational bonds can be classified into three categories: 1) universal relational bonds that transcend service categories, 2) service specific relational bonds and 3) inconsequential relational bonds. The findings also suggest that although most of the relationships in the model work universally, their strength is moderated in many cases by the service type. This moderating effect depends on the service typology used and the stage of the relationship. Thus, at the first stage of the relationship which refers to the link between service actions and relational bonds, the customisation and contact levels associated with the service (Bowen’s groups) as well as whether the service is consumed collectively or individually, have a significant moderating effect. At the second stage of the relationship which refers to the link between relational bonds and repurchase intentions, the hedonic or utilitarian nature of the service is very important. Finally, at the third stage of the relationships which refer to the link between repurchase drivers and relationship outcomes, the level of risk associated with the service (search/ experience/ credence services) is important. In addition to its theoretical contribution, the framework provides service providers with specific information and guidance in order to manage long-term customer relationships in a successful and a resourceful manner

The relational value of loyalty programs in luxury retailing

In the last decade loyalty programs have gained popularity across various industries. However and until recently, it was debatable if loyalty programs can be effective and appropriate in luxury retailing. If loyalty programs were to succeed in the luxury sector they had to deliver the kind of recognition and rewards that make luxury shoppers feel remarkable. Thus, this study examines how the utilitarian, hedonic and symbolic perceived benefits from loyalty programs can influence the satisfaction and trust with the program and consequently store loyalty. These relationships are compared between luxury and low-end retailers through data collected form a sample of 984 consumers from an online panel in US, using a structured questionnaire. Findings support that the effectiveness of loyalty programs is important to both settings but the strength of this effectiveness varies across the two settings. Specifically, hedonic and symbolic benefits found to be more important in the luxury context and utilitarian benefits in the low-end retailing setting. The results of this research address an important research gap and help to better understand customers' perceptions of loyalty program benefits. Finally, findings provide clear guidelines for managers in luxury retailing on how to design effectively their loyalty program rewards

Assessment of psychological distress and quality of life of family caregivers caring for patients with chronic diseases at home

Introduction: Caring for the chronically ill at home is a particularly demanding process that can place a great burden on the caregiver. International and Greek studies underline and confirm this problem. In addition, family caregivers are not supported by the health systems of the different countries, especially in Greece, where the system relies mainly on the family to care for these patients, which is even more challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychological burden of family caregivers of the chronically ill and the outcomes of care for these individuals. It also aims to assess the intensity of burden and changes in quality of life of family caregivers by demographic characteristics. Methods: The sample of the study was a random sample and consisted of 102 family caregivers of chronically ill patients registered in home care of “Metaxa” hospital. The scales (BAKAS/BCOS) and (HADS) were used for data collection. SPSS 25 statistical package was used for statistical analysis of the results. Results: The results of the study, calculated with the BCOS scale, show a low burden (−0.93) of family caregivers, patients with chronic diseases and moderate depression and anxiety. The results of the analysis associate the intensity of family caregiver burden with increased levels of anxiety and depression. The factors that affect burden are gender, with women having higher burden, living with the patient, and low education level. According to the HADS anxiety scale, family caregivers had an average score of 11, indicating a moderate level of anxiety, and for depression, the average score was 10.4, also indicating a moderate level of depression. The results indicate that the state needs to support family caregivers and take immediate action to create structures and implement actions to help families continue in their difficult roles in a pain-free manner

Favoritism Toward Foreign and Domestic Brands: A Comparison of Different Theoretical Explanations

Five theoretical approaches can predict favoritism toward domestic and foreign brands. This article applies a contrastive perspective to examine social identity, personal identity, cultural identity, system justification, and categorical cognition theories and their attendant constructs. The authors propose a set of main-effects hypotheses as well as hypotheses related to both product and country moderation effects on attitudes toward and loyalty to domestic and foreign brands. They test the hypotheses on a sample of Chinese consumers with respect to salient brands from 12 product categories. The results indicate that three of the theoretical approaches examined can explain only one side of favoritism—most commonly favoritism toward domestic brands—but not favoritism toward both domestic and foreign brands. Consumer xenocentrism, a concept rooted in system justification theory, seems to provide more consistent predictions for both domestic- and foreign-brand bias

Alcohol Consumption, Beverage Preference, and Diet in Middle-Aged Men from the STANISLAS Study

The question about differences in dietary patterns associated with beer, wine, and spirits is still unresolved. We used diet data from 423 middle-aged males of the STANISLAS Study. Using adjusted values for covariates, we observed a negative significant association between increasing alcohol intakes and the consumption of milk, yogurt, and fresh/uncured cheese, sugar and confectionery, vegetables and fruits, and a significant positive relationship with cheese, meat and organs, pork-butcher's meat, and potatoes. In addition, the first dietary pattern identified by factor analysis (characterized a more prudent diet) was inversely related to alcohol intakes. Conversely, when analyzing daily consumption of specific food groups and diet patterns according to beverage preference (wine, beer, and spirits), no significant difference was observed. In conclusion, in this sample of middle-aged French males, there was a linear trend between increasing alcohol intakes and worsening of quality of diet, while no difference was observed according to beverage preference

The effects of loyalty programs on customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty toward high- and low-end fashion retailers

This study examines the differential effects of the benefits customers receive from a loyalty program (LP) on satisfaction with the LP, trust in the LP, and store loyalty for high- and low-end fashion retailers. With survey data from U.S. LP subscribers, the study tests the relationships using multiple regressions and analysis of covariance. The results show that symbolic benefits are more important for high-end fashion store consumers' satisfaction with the LP; conversely, utilitarian benefits increase consumers' satisfaction with the LP more in low-end fashion retailing, whereas hedonic benefits increase consumers' satisfaction with the LP in both types of retailers. All benefits in both types of retailers affect trust in the LP. Finally, satisfaction with and trust in the LP are important drivers of loyalty to the retailer. The findings have important implications on how managers of high- and low-end fashion retailing can effectively design their LP rewards to maximize loyalty

The potential impact of Saharan dust and polluted aerosols on microbial populations in the East Mediterranean Sea, an overview of a mesocosm experimental approach.

Recent estimates of nutrient budgets for the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) indicate that atmospheric aerosols play a significant role as suppliers of macro- and micro- nutrients to its Low Nutrient Low Chlorophyll water. Here we present the first mesocosm experimental study that examines the overall response of the oligotrophic EMS surface mixed layer (Cretan Sea, May 2012) to two different types of natural aerosol additions, “pure” Saharan dust (SD, 1.6 mg l-1) and mixed aerosols (A - polluted and desert origin, 1 mg l-1). We describe the rationale, the experimental set-up, the chemical characteristics of the ambient water and aerosols and the relative maximal biological impacts that resulted from the added aerosols. The two treatments, run in triplicates (3 m3 each), were compared to control-unamended runs. Leaching of approximately 2.1-2.8 and 2.2-3.7 nmol PO4 and 20-26 and 53-55 nmol NOx was measured per each milligram of SD and A, respectively, representing an addition of approximately 30% of the ambient phosphate concentrations. The nitrate/phosphate ratios added in the A treatment were twice than those added in the SD treatment. Both types of dry aerosols triggered a positive change (25-600% normalized per 1 mg l-1 addition) in most of the rate and state variables that were measured: bacterial abundance (BA), bacterial production (BP), Synechococcus (Syn) abundance, chlorophyll-a (chl-a), primary production (PP) and dinitrogen fixation (N2-fix), with relative changes among them following the sequence BP>PP≈N2-fix>chl-a≈BA≈Syn. Our results show that the ‘polluted’ aerosols triggered a relatively larger biological change compared to the SD amendments (per a similar amount of mass addition), especially regarding BP and PP. We speculate that despite the co-limitation of P and N in the EMS, the additional N released by the A treatment may have triggered the relatively larger response in most of the rate and state variables as compared to SD. An implication of our study is that a warmer atmosphere in the future may increase dust emissions and influence the intensity and length of the already well stratified water column in the EMS and hence the impact of the aerosols as a significant external source of new nutrients

Socio-cognitive determinants of consumers’ support for the fair trade movement

Despite the reasonable explanatory power of existing models of consumers’ ethical decision making, a large part of the process remains unexplained. This article draws on previous research and proposes an integrated model that includes measures of the theory of planned behavior, personal norms, self-identity, neutralization, past experience, and attitudinal ambivalence. We postulate and test a variety of direct and moderating effects in the context of a large survey with a representative sample of the U.K. population. Overall, the resulting model represents an empirically robust and holistic attempt to identify the most important determinants of consumers’ support for the fair-trade movement. Implications and avenues for further research are discussed

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks