I, chatbot! the impact of anthropomorphism and gaze direction on willingness to disclose personal information and behavioral intentions

The present research focuses on the interplay between two common features of the customer service chatbot experience: gaze direction and anthropomorphism. Although the dominant approach in marketing theory and practice is to make chatbots as human-like as possible, the current study, built on the humanness-value-loyalty model, addresses the chain of effects through which chatbots' nonverbal behaviors affect customers' willingness to disclose personal information and purchase intentions. By means of two experiments that adopt a real chatbot in a simulated shopping environment (i.e., car rental and travel insurance), the present work allows us to understand how to reduce individuals' tendency to see conversational agents as less knowledgeable and empathetic compared with humans. The results show that warmth perceptions are affected by gaze direction, whereas competence perceptions are affected by anthropomorphism. Warmth and competence perceptions are found to be key drivers of consumers' skepticism toward the chatbot, which, in turn, affects consumers' trust toward the service provider hosting the chatbot, ultimately leading consumers to be more willing to disclose their personal information and to repatronize the e-tailer in the future. Building on the Theory of Mind, our results show that perceiving competence from a chatbot makes individuals less skeptical as long as they feel they are good at detecting others' ultimate intentions

Brand engagement in self-concept: a comparative study in Austria, Italy and Poland

Purpose The study aims to shed light on cross-country comparisons of brand engagement in self-concept (BESC) among consumers from European countries and to link presumed differences with country-level economic growth and materialism. This study contributes to the literature on the customer-brand relationship and provides implications for international branding strategies. Design/methodology/approach This observation study explored levels of BESC in three European countries. Questionnaire data were collected from consumers of Austria (N= 302), Italy (N= 431) and Poland (N= 410) with the purpose to make cross-country comparisons of BESC among consumers. Findings The results provide evidence for partial scalar invariance of the BESC scale. Cross-country comparisons of latent means reveal that Polish consumers score higher on BESC than consumers from Austria and Italy. Moreover, Austrian consumers score higher on BESC than Italian consumers. Research limitations/implications Culture as a contextual factor of BESC should be studied further. The findings should be replicated with non-convenience samples in additional cultural contexts to improve the generalizability of data. Structural equation modeling could be used to investigate psychological drivers of BESC differences. Practical implications The findings coming from the cross-country comparisons of BESC are of practical relevance to marketing managers: they should tailor their branding and communication strategies accordingly. Originality/value So far, the understanding of cross-cultural and cross-country differences in consumer-brand relationships has remained limited. This study adopts a rigorous approach to cross-cultural research enriching the literature on BESC from a cross-country perspective

Neonatal functional treatment for Pierre Robin Sequence

Objective: Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) is a heterogeneous pathological condition characterized by the coexistence of micrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate, resulting in upper airway tract obstruction. Among the treatment modalities, the orthodontic approach is one part of the comprehensive care of those patients and will be present in the treatment modalities during all the growth period of the child.Methods: All patients with PRS observed in the period 2013-2017 were treated with a definite functional approach. The results were retrospectively analyzed with regard to functional outcome, total treatment time, and number of plates provided for a single patient.Results: In all the patients, the indicated treatment protocol has been applied as early impression and plate supply, stimulation of bottle feeding with the use of the plate, eventual substitution of the plate if no more adequate to the transverse and sagittal growth of the palate, and continuing the use until the surgical closure of the cleft. All the patients showed a positive outcome to the proposed treatment approach, evaluated with regard to the incidence of feeding improvement and weight gain, to the limit for the surgical phase, in the absence of adverse effects.Conclusion: The use of a functional obturator plate, removing functional alterations to mandibular growth, reduces and, in some cases, eliminates the need for surgical intervention. As also stated in the literature, if despite the presence of the plate nutritional problems persist, immediate different surgical approaches, mainly mandibular osteodistraction, become necessary

QR code and the wine sector: What contents? an exploratory research study on the wine industry

This paper presents an explorative analysis of the contents shared through QR codes as a tool of proximity marketing. The aim of the research is to identify the most common links shared through the QR code technology, in order to investigate the use of this tool from a marketing point of view. Moreover, the research explores the main aspects of the communications related to the contents shared through QR codes. Specifically, the authors focus on hedonic aspects and functional ones. Finally, the research aims at identifying preliminary best practices in the use of QR code technology. Due to the widespread use of this tool in the sector, the research focuses on the wine industry, as one of the most involved with QR code practices. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on a content analysis of 91 wine labels. Considering the importance of this integrated communication, the purpose of this explorative analysis is to deduce implications that enable managers to master the use of this tool, exploiting all its potential

New patterns in wine consumption: the wine by the glass trend

The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of wine by the glass (WBG) consumption as a new growing trend in wine consumption. To this end, the roles of risk perception, wine involvement and variety seeking are investigated in determining WBG purchase intentions

Prenatal Exposure to BPA: The Effects on Hepatic Lipid Metabolism in Male and Female Rat Fetuses

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic chemical compound widely used for manufacturing plastics. BPA exposure originates principally from the diet, but it can also originate from dermal contact. In over 90% of individuals, including pregnant women, BPA is detectable in several body fluids. The effects of this exposure on the fetus are under active investigation in several research laboratories. The aim of our work was to study the impact of prenatal exposure to BPA in the liver of rat fetuses from a sex-dependent point of view. We particularly investigated the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on hepatic lipids because of their crucial role, not only for the liver, but also for the whole-body functions. Our results demonstrate that the liver of rat fetuses, in utero exposed to a very low dose of BPA (2.5 µg/kg/day), displays significant modulations with regard to proteins involved in cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis and trafficking. Moreover, an impact on inflammatory process has been observed. All these effects are dependent on sex, being observable only in female rat fetuses. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that maternal exposure to BPA compromises hepatic lipid metabolism in female offspring, and it also reveals the perspective impact of BPA on human health at doses currently considered safe

Nahoum Index in Brachyfacial Patients: A Pilot Study

Objective:Our aim is to test the Nahoum Index as a support in the cephalometric study of vertical dimension and therapeutic orientation in adult patients suffering from Class II malocclusion, deep bite, or short face syndrome.Methods:Twenty-three patients with molar Class II and an overbite >4 mm were stratified into two groups: orthodontic (G2) and surgical orthodontic (G1). The ANB angle and Nahoum Index were calculated for cephalometric tracing pre- and post-treatment. The difference between the ANB and Nahoum Index values were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software.Results:In G1, the Nahoum Index decreased from 0.954 to 0.797, and the ANB angle decreased from 5.2° to 3.2°. In G2, the Nahoum Index decreased from 0.825 to 0.817, and the ANB angle decreased from 4.4° to 4°.Conclusion:In G1, the difference between before and after treatment was significant for the Nahoum Index only. The difference between before and after values was not significant in the G2 group. It is possible to indicate the Nahoum Index of 0.934 as the limit value in case of which a patient may be treated with orthodontics only. This limit is the opposite of the limit proposed by Nahoum for vertical excess cases and respect the same interval. Therefore, we can consider the range 0.81-0.934 to indicate borderline patients, and >0.934 to indicate surgical patients. If the ratio is close to the normal value as 0.81, the treatment will be orthodontic; if it is further increased, the treatment will be surgical

Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Molecular Imaging of the Painful Knee

Chronic knee pain is a common condition. Causes of knee pain include trauma, inflammation, and degeneration, but in many patients the pathophysiology remains unknown. Recent developments in advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and molecular imaging facilitate more in-depth research focused on the pathophysiology of chronic musculoskeletal pain and more specifically inflammation. The forthcoming new insights can help develop better targeted treatment, and some imaging techniques may even serve as imaging biomarkers for predicting and assessing treatment response in the future. This review highlights the latest developments in perfusion MRI, diffusion MRI, and molecular imaging with positron emission tomography/MRI and their application in the painful knee. The primary focus is synovial inflammation, also known as synovitis. Bone perfusion and bone metabolism are also addressed.</p