Despite society's increasing sensitivity toward green production, companies often struggle to find effective communication strategies that induce consumers to buy green products or engage in other ...environmentally friendly behaviors. To add clarity to this situation, we investigated the effectiveness of negative versus positive message framing in promoting green products, whereby companies highlight the detrimental versus beneficial environmental consequences of choosing less versus more green options, respectively. Across four experiments, we show that negatively framed messages are more effective than positively framed ones in prompting consumers to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. More importantly, we find that anticipated shame is the emotion responsible for this effect. Furthermore, both environmental concern and the type of product promoted serve as moderators; thus, the mediating role of anticipated shame is attenuated when environmental concern is low and the product is a luxury one. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our work, along with its limitations and some directions for future research.
Previous research on word of mouth (WOM) has presented inconsistent evidence on whether consumers are more inclined to share positive or negative information about products and services. Some ...findings suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in positive WOM, whereas others suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in negative WOM. The present research offers a theoretical perspective that provides a means to resolve these seemingly contradictory findings. Specifically, the authors compare the generation of WOM (i.e., consumers sharing information about their own experiences) with the transmission of WOM (i.e., consumers passing on information about experiences they heard occurred to others). They suggest that a basic human motive to selfenhance leads consumers to generate positive WOM (i.e., share information about their own positive consumption experiences) but transmit negative WOM (i.e., pass on information they heard about others' negative consumption experiences). The authors present evidence for self-enhancement motives playing out in opposite ways for WOM generation versus WOM transmission across four experiments.
Entrepreneurs’
innovativeness and
personality play a key role in the adoption of innovations in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Following two complementary approaches, this study ...conceptualizes
innovativeness at two levels of abstraction:
general innovativeness (GI), that is, the degree of openness to newness; and
specific innovativeness (SI), that is, the predisposition to be among the firsts to adopt innovations in a specific domain. This study measures GI and SI on a sample of SME entrepreneurs by using two different scales that are based on inventories extensively used in this field (i.e., the KAI Kirton, J.M., 1976. Adaptors and innovators: a description and measure. Journal of Applied Psychology 61 (5), 622–629; Kirton, J.M., 2003. Adaption–Innovation in the Context of Diversity and Change. Routledge, London and DSI Goldsmith, R.E., Hofacker, C.F., 1991. Measuring consumer innovativeness. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 19 (3), 209–222 inventories) and tests their effects on the entrepreneurs’ intention to adopt innovations. Secondly, this study relates entrepreneurs’
innovativeness (both GI and SI) to their basic
personality traits as assessed through the Five-Factor Model of human personality (cf. Digman, J.M., 1990. Personality structure: emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology 41 (1), 417–440; McCrae, R.R., John, O.P., 1992. An introduction to the five-factor model and its implications. Journal of Personality 60 (2), 1–26). Finally, it compares the predictive power of both GI and SI on the entrepreneurs’ intention to adopt innovations against that of a cognitive model that represents the framework of reference in this field (i.e., the
Theory of Planned Behavior Ajzen, I., 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50 (2), 179–211). Results suggest a number of implications for entrepreneurs, managers, and policy makers.
The genetically modified food industry may contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development. Nevertheless, many consumers are skeptical about genetically modified foods and fear ...that their diffusion may have detrimental effects on the environment and public health. Given this situation, genetically modified food producers may benefit from understanding how to address such concerns through appropriate corporate social responsibility initiatives. However, there is scarce research investigating this issue. This paper contributes to this research stream by studying how consumers' perceptions about genetically modified food producers' corporate social responsibility initiatives impact said consumers' attitudes toward and intentions to buy such products. This research builds on the well-established model of corporate social responsibility proposed by Carroll (1979) and investigates this issue through a survey study of 260 Italian consumers. The results show that perceptions about producers' philanthropic and legal responsibilities favorably impact Italian consumers' attitudes toward genetically modified foods and their intentions to buy such products, respectively. Managers interested in developing the genetically modified food market could therefore focus on these responsibilities to foster favorable attitudes and intentions toward genetically modified foods.
•This study examines the effect of CSR on consumer attitudes and intentions toward GM foods.•The dimensions of CSR have different effects on consumer attitudes and intentions.•Perceived legal responsibility positively affects the intention to buy GM foods.•Perceived philanthropic responsibility positively affects the attitudes towards GM foods.
The functional relevance of the B-cell receptor (BCR) and the evolution of protein kinases as therapeutic targets have recently shifted the paradigm for treatment of B-cell malignancies. Inhibition ...of p110δ with idelalisib has shown clinical activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The dynamic interplay of isoforms p110δ and p110γ in leukocytes support the hypothesis that dual blockade may provide a therapeutic benefit. IPI-145, an oral inhibitor of p110δ and p110γ isoforms, sensitizes BCR-stimulated and/or stromal co-cultured primary CLL cells to apoptosis (median 20%, n=57; P<0.0001) including samples with poor prognostic markers, unmutated IgVH (n=28) and prior treatment (n=15; P<0.0001). IPI-145 potently inhibits the CD40L/IL-2/IL-10 induced proliferation of CLL cells with an IC50 in sub-nanomolar range. A corresponding dose-responsive inhibition of pAKT(Ser473) is observed with an IC50 of 0.36 nM. IPI-145 diminishes the BCR-induced chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 secretion to 17% and 37%, respectively. Pre-treatment with 1 μM IPI-145 inhibits the chemotaxis toward CXCL12; reduces pseudoemperipolesis to median 50%, inferring its ability to interfere with homing capabilities of CLL cells. BCR-activated signaling proteins AKT(Ser473), BAD(Ser112), ERK(Thr202/Tyr204) and S6(Ser235/236) are mitigated by IPI-145. Importantly, for clinical development in hematological malignancies, IPI-145 is selective to CLL B cells, sparing normal B- and T-lymphocytes.
The prefrontal cortex, a part of the limbic-thalamic-cortical network, participates in regulation of mood, cognition and behavior and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of major depressive ...disorder (MDD). Many neuropsychological studies demonstrate impairment of working memory in patients with MDD. However, there are few functional neuroimaging studies of MDD patients during working memory processing, and most of the available ones included medicated patients or patients with both MDD and bipolar disorder. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure prefrontal cortex function during working memory processing in untreated depressed patients with MDD. Fifteen untreated individuals with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition recurrent MDD (mean age+/-s.d.=34.3+/-11.5 years) and 15 healthy comparison subjects (37.7+/-12.1 years) matched for age, sex and race were studied using a GE/Elscint 2T MR system. An echo-planar MRI sequence was used to acquire 24 axial slices. The n-back task (0-back, 1-back and 2-back) was used to elicit frontal cortex activation. Data were analyzed with a multiple regression analysis using the FSL-FEAT software. MDD patients showed significantly greater left dorsolateral cortex activation during the n-back task compared to the healthy controls (P<0.01), although task performance was similar in the two groups. Furthermore, the patients showed significant anterior cingulate cortex activation during the task, but the comparison subjects did not (P<0.01). This study provides in vivo imaging evidence of abnormal frontolimbic circuit function during working memory processing in individuals with MDD.
Abstract Background Impulsivity is a key component of the manic behavior of bipolar disorder and is reported to occur in bipolar patients as a stable characteristic, i.e. a trait. Nevertheless, ...impulsivity has not been widely studied in depressed bipolar patients. We assessed impulsivity in depressed and euthymic bipolar and unipolar patients and healthy controls. We hypothesized that bipolar subjects would have higher levels of trait impulsivity than the comparison groups. Methods Twenty-four depressed bipolar, 24 depressed unipolar, 12 euthymic bipolar, and 10 euthymic unipolar patients, as well as 51 healthy subjects were evaluated with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). Analysis of covariance with age and sex as covariates was used to compare mean group differences. Results Depressed bipolar, euthymic bipolar, and depressed unipolar patients did not differ, and showed greater impulsivity than healthy controls on all of the BIS scales. Euthymic unipolar patients scored higher than healthy controls only on motor impulsivity. Limitations Higher number of past substance abusers in the bipolar groups, and no control for anxiety and personality disorders, as well as small sample sizes, limit the reach of this study. Conclusions This study replicates prior findings of stable trait impulsivity in bipolar disorder patients, and extends them, confirming that this trait can be demonstrated in depressed patients, as well as manic and euthymic ones. Trait impulsivity may be the result of repeated mood episodes or be present prior to their onset, either way it would influence the clinical presentation of bipolar disorder.
Impulsivity and bipolar disorder Najt, P; Perez, J; Sanches, M ...
European neuropsychopharmacology,
04/2007, Volume:
17, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Abstract Impulsivity is frequently associated with bipolar disorder (BD) during manic episodes, but may also be present in euthymic bipolar patients. Aggression is an impulsivity-related behavior ...also found during manic episodes. The objective of this review is to further clarify the relationship between impulsivity and BD. A search in Medline and Psycinfo databases, combined with a manual search of selected references, was conducted to identify available literature on BD and impulsivity-related features. Although few studies have directly measured impulsivity in BD, available findings suggest that impulsivity is not only state-related, but also a trait component of BD, which could represent a core feature of the illness. Further research exploring the neurobiology of the impulsivity/BD relationship may contribute to elucidate the pathophysiology and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this severe illness.
Consumers often give advice by recommending products and services to one another. The present research explores the idea that advice giving sometimes reflects a self-serving desire to compensate for ...a loss of control. Four experiments provide convergent evidence for a phenomenon we term compensatory word of mouth, whereby consumers' communications contain advice fueled by their own need to restore control. Experiment 1 explores the potential practical relevance of this idea by showing that advertising messages can threaten consumers' sense of control and increase advice giving in word-of-mouth communications. Experiment 2 uses a different paradigm and further demonstrates that a threat to consumers' sense of control increases advice giving. As additional evidence of a compensatory account, Experiment 3 finds that threatened individuals' propensity to give advice is attenuated when they are first given an alternative means to restore a sense of control. Finally, Experiment 4 demonstrates that advice giving can serve a compensatory function by instilling a greater sense of competence that enhances consumers' feelings of control.
•Advice giving can be driven by a situational need to restore control.•Advice given to offset one's need for control is an instantiation of compensatory WOM.•Control-threatening advertisements can encourage advice giving.•Advice giving restores control because it fosters an increased sense of competence.
There is no current centralized database of structured global health programs at U.S. medical schools and no published review in the past decade. This study aims to describe the prevalence, ...characteristics, and requirements of non-degree, longitudinal, structured global health programs in U.S. allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.
In July 2021, the authors performed a web-based review of existing structured global health programs for the 154 U.S. allopathic medical schools and 35 U.S. osteopathic medical schools established prior to 2019.
Of 189 institutions examined, 74 (39%) had online information about a structured global health program. Forty-three (53%) programs reported coursework requirements, 44 (54%) required a global health experience, and one program required demonstration of language or cultural knowledge. More internally administered programs required experiential work, while more externally administered programs required didactic work. There were few differences in program requirements between allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.
There has been a 75% increase over the past ten years in the number of U.S. allopathic medical schools with websites for structured global health programs. There appeared to be little standardization in their structure and requirements. The findings support the need for a web-based central repository for updated information regarding medical school global health curricula.
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