The Dynamics of Store Hour Changes and Consumption Behavior: Results of a Longitudinal Study of Consumer Attitudes toward Saturday Shopping in Germany

Americans who travel internationally are often shocked to discover retail outlets closed during weekend and evening hours in cities such as Paris, Rome and Berlin. Fortunately, based on the implicit assumption that demand clearly exists, retailers at various locations throughout the globe have increased their hours of operation. While political debate regarding a variety of issues (costs, the rights of labor, religion, etc.) often rages, there has been an implicit assumption that latent demand for longer hours of operation exists. Our study investigates through a longitudinal examination consumer perceptions of Saturday shopping in a country where such an activity was previously restricted. Specifically, we study perceptions of Saturday shopping among a sample of German college students who were raised with limited Saturday shopping hours. Data were gathered in 1996 – the year German legislation allowed expanded hours for retailers – and again in 1999, and comparisons are made. Strong differences are found between consumer attitudes towards Saturday shopping at the time of expansion and three years later, indicating the need for differentiating retail strategies in Germany and in other parts of the world that may soon be providing similar expanded retail access.Agribusiness,

Services as the Crucial Factor for the Success of Retailing in Croatia

The era of intense competition in all spheres of the global economy has forced companies to spare no effort to retain their market share and to compete successfully in the marketplace. This is particularly evident in the retail sector which is one of the fastest growing and most competitive sectors of the Croatian economy. Over the last decade, retailers have faced many challenges. On the one hand, there are ever more sophisticated and more demanding customers. On the other hand, there is intense competition in retailing: non-store retail formats, vertical integration, large store formats, to name a few. It requires retailers worldwide to define the manner in which they may differentiate themselves in the market and attract consumers in a way that is superior to their competitors. Although most retailers today use an overall cost leadership strategy to obtain a competitive advantage, thus reducing the personal element in service delivery, services remain critical for the competitiveness of a retail firm. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of service level on store patronage. The paper reports the findings of a study conducted on a sample of 350 Croatian customers and points out the positive relation between customer service and retail firm success

Franchising from the franchisee\u27s perspective

The focus of this article is on the emergence and development of multi-unit franchising in the USA from the franchisee\u27s perspective. After a historical summary of the development of franchising from a marketing viewpoint, a typology of different franchisee types is provided, and the multi-unit franchising paradox is presented. The article offers a discussion of reasons why individuals might be enticed to become multi-unit franchisees. Emphasis is placed on entrepreneurship as a possible motive for sequential owners\u27 involvement as multi-unit franchisees. The article concludes by providing encouragement for future research to investigate the issue empirically

Franchising from the franchisee\u27s perspective

The focus of this article is on the emergence and development of multi-unit franchising in the USA from the franchisee\u27s perspective. After a historical summary of the development of franchising from a marketing viewpoint, a typology of different franchisee types is provided, and the multi-unit franchising paradox is presented. The article offers a discussion of reasons why individuals might be enticed to become multi-unit franchisees. Emphasis is placed on entrepreneurship as a possible motive for sequential owners\u27 involvement as multi-unit franchisees. The article concludes by providing encouragement for future research to investigate the issue empirically

The Influence of Social Identity on Rural Consumers’ Intent to Shop Locally

Rural consumers’ in- and out-shopping intention has been a research topic for many years. This study investigates the relationship between social identity and rural consumers’ intent to shop within their local community, along with a number of moderating demographic variables. Using a sample of respondents from the Midwest, this study found a significant and positive relationship between rural consumers who socially identify with people in their local community and their intent to inshop. The influence of several demographic moderators is also explored, and implications for practice and future re-search are discussed

Clinical Utility of TNF-based Isolated Limb Perfusion to achieve Limb Salvage

Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) with melphalan is effective in the treatment of small multiple melanoma in-transit metastases and is utilized widely for this indication. The technique achieves regional drug concentrations 15–25 times higher than systemic administration and is without systemic side effects 1, 2. However, the treatment is much less effective against bulky melanoma metastases and has uniformly failed in the treatment of irresectable extremit

Time Trends in the Incidence and Treatment of Extra-Abdominal and Abdominal Aggressive Fibromatosis: A Population-Based Study

Background: Aggressive fibromatosis (AF) is a locally infiltrating soft-tissue tumor. In a population-based study in the Netherlands, we evaluated time trends for the incidence and treatment of AF. Methods: In PALGA: Dutch Pathology Registry, all patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2013 as having extra-abdominal or abdominal wall aggressive fibromatosis were identified and available pathology data of the patients were evaluated. Epidemiological and treatment-related factors were analyzed with χ2and regression analysis. Results: During the study period, 1134 patients were identified. The incidence increased from 2.10 to 5.36 per million people per year. Median age at the time of diagnosis increased annually by B 0.285 (P = 0.001). Female gender prevailed and increased over time [annual odds ratio (OR) 1.022; P = 0.058]. All anatomic localizations, but in particular truncal tumors, became more frequent. During the study period diagnostic histological biopsies were performed more often (annual OR 1.096; P < 0.001). The proportion of patients who underwent surgical treatment decreased (annual OR 0.928; P < 0.001). When resection was preceded by biopsy, 49.8 % of the patients had R0-resection versus 30.7 % in patients without biopsy (P < 0.001). Conclusions: In this population-based study, an increasing incidence of extra-abdominal and abdominal-wall aggressive fibromatosis was observed. The workup of patients improved and a trend towards a nonsurgical treatment policy was observed