Researchers and companies are paying increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the reaction to them by consumers. Despite such corporate efforts and an expanding ...literature exploring consumers' response to CSR, it remains unclear how consumers perceive CSR and which "Gestalt" consumers have in mind when considering CSR. Academics and managers lack a tool for measuring consumers' perceptions of CSR (CPCSR). This research explores CPCSR and develops a measurement model. Based on qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, the authors develop a conceptualization of CPCSR. Subsequently, model testing and validating occurs on three large quantitative data sets. The conceptualization and the measurement scale can assist companies to assess CPCSR relative to their performance. They also enable managers in identifying shortcomings in CSR engagement and/or communication. Finally, the paper discusses implications for marketing practice and future research.
Conjunctional adverbs and formulaic expressions are the fundamental mechanisms in the development of fluent speech, providing coherence and cohesion within discourse, but also contributing to ...perceived fluency or the listener’s impression of native-like speech. Research has emphasized the exceptional importance of explicitly teaching those lexical units that directly affect the development of speech fluency since they are very important in all phases during the process of speech production. The present study aims to expand the existing knowledge by providing insight into how formal teaching instruction can contribute to the automatization of different conjunctional adverbs to achieve coherence and contribute to perceived fluency. A group of eight students of German studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split recorded a spontaneous dialogue based on three given topics twice, before and after the intervention. The intervention included different speech tasks with the implementation of a variety of native like conjunctional adverbs (e.g., außerdem, darüberhinaus, zudem, dazu, zusätzlich, daher, nämlich, deswegen, etc.). The results of the study have mostly shown that learners tend to employ an unsatisfactory repertoire of a variety of lexical units with a narrower range of different functions. In other words, an extreme overuse of the discourse markers und and also was recorded in the first dialogue. The analysis of the second recording after the intervention displayed no changes.
The non-profit sector is home to some of the most recognized and trustworthy brands, all competing for financial resources and volunteers. Akin to consumers, volunteers entertain relationships with ...non-profit brands. These relationships have recently become more diverse as individuals increasingly look for more ephemeral and distant forms of involvement. Drawing on an extensive qualitative dataset of the Vienna Red Cross comprising participant observation, archival data, and in-depth interviews, the authors conceptualize this non-escalating, episodic engagement as a neither-growing-nor-fading (NGNF) relationship. This theorization adds to the literature on consumer–brand relationships, which has predominantly focused on the cultivation of strong relationships. Informed by practice theory, the authors elaborate distinct brand relationship practices key to successfully maintaining NGNF relationships (acquiring and activating) while catering to volunteers following the traditional path of relationship intensification (building and cultivating). The analysis identifies constellations of practice elements conducive to managing both types of brand relationships in a symbiotic manner. The authors argue for the importance of moving beyond an exclusive focus on relationship growth and embracing non-escalating relationships. This study thus contributes to nascent theorizing on brand relationships that do not follow an axiology valuing growth and intensification.
In tumor cells of more than 20 different cancer types, the
-axis is involved in multiple key processes including proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasis. Since data on this axis ...in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are inconsistent and limited, we comprehensively studied the
-axis in our DLBCL cohort as well as the effects of CXCR4 antagonists on lymphoma cell lines in vitro. In DLBCL, we observed a 140-fold higher
expression compared to non-neoplastic controls, which was associated with poor clinical outcome. In corresponding bone marrow biopsies, we observed a correlation of
expression and lymphoma infiltration rate as well as a reduction of
expression in remission of bone marrow involvement after treatment. Additionally, we investigated the effects of three CXCR4 antagonists in vitro. Therefore, we used AMD3100 (Plerixafor), AMD070 (Mavorixafor), and WKI, the niacin derivative of AMD070, which we synthesized. WK1 demonstrated stronger pro-apoptotic effects than AMD070 in vitro and induced expression of pro-apoptotic genes of the BCL2-family in CXCR4-positive lymphoma cell lines. Finally, WK1 treatment resulted in the reduced expression of JNK-, ERK1/2- and NF-κB/BCR-target genes. These data indicate that the
-axis impacts the pathogenesis of DLBCL and represents a potential therapeutic target in aggressive lymphomas.
The nonprofit sector is home to some of the most recognized and trustworthy brands, all competing for financial resources and volunteers. Akin to consumers, volunteers have relationships with ...nonprofit brands. These relationships have recently become more diverse as individuals increasingly look for more ephemeral and distant forms of involvement. Drawing on an extensive qualitative dataset of the Vienna Red Cross comprising participant observation, archival data, and in-depth interviews, the authors conceptualize this nonescalating, episodic engagement as a neither-growing-nor-fading (NGNF) relationship. This theorization adds to the literature on consumer–brand relationships, which has predominantly focused on the cultivation of strong relationships. Informed by practice theory, the authors elaborate distinct brand relationship practices key to successfully maintaining NGNF relationships (acquiring and activating) while catering to volunteers following the traditional path of relationship intensification (building and cultivating). The analysis identifies constellations of practice elements conducive to managing both types of brand relationships in a symbiotic manner. The authors argue for the importance of moving beyond an exclusive focus on relationship growth and embracing nonescalating relationships. This study thus contributes to nascent theorizing on brand relationships that do not follow an axiology that values growth and intensification.
Food waste is a major problem in industrialized nations, andthus a better understanding ofthis phenomenon and its inherent complexity is imperative. As gatekeeper to the food supply chain, the retail ...and wholesale sector is a crucial actor in the pursuit of minimizing food waste. The authors draw on the perspective of marketing as exchange to provide a holistic exploration of food waste in retail and wholesale stores while taking into account the interconnected ness of the entire food supply chain. Through 32 semistructured interviews with store managers, the authors shed light on the issues of food waste and its human reality. findings reveal the questionable ethics of discarding food; the societal, regulatory, and systemic constraints leading to the occurrence of food waste in stores; and the resulting moral burden on store managers. Building on these factors, the authors outline public policy recommendations in the areas of education and law and provide managerial recommendations for the better management of food waste.
In accordance with societal norms and values, consumers readily indicate their positive attitudes toward sustainability. However, they hardly take sustainability into account when engaging in ...exchange relationships with companies. To shed light on this paradox, this paper investigates whether defense mechanisms and the more specific concept of neutralization techniques can explain the discrepancy between societal norms and actual behavior. A multi-method qualitative research design provides rich insights into consumers' underlying cognitive processes and how they make sense of their attitude-behavior divergences. Drawing on the Ways Model of account-taking, which is advanced to a Cycle Model, the findings illustrate how neutralization strategies are used to legitimize inconsistencies between norm-conforming attitudes and actual behavior. Furthermore, the paper discusses how the repetitive reinforcement of neutralizing patterns and feedback loops between individuals and society are linked to the rise of anomic consumer behavior.
There is an unresolved paradox concerning the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in consumer behavior. On the one hand, consumers demand more and more CSR information from corporations. On ...the other hand, research indicates a considerable gap between consumers' apparent interest in CSR and the limited role of CSR in purchase behavior. This article attempts to shed light on this paradox by drawing on qualitative data from in-depth interviews. The findings show that the evaluation of CSR initiatives is a complex and hierarchically structured process, during which consumers distinguish between core, central, and peripheral factors. This article describes these factors in detail and explains the complexity of consumers' assessment of CSR. These insights then serve as a basis for discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of the research findings. To this end, the article contributes to a better understanding of the role of CSR in consumption decisions.
Conjunctional adverbs and formulaic expressions are the fundamental mechanisms in the development of fluent speech, providing coherence and cohesion within discourse, but also contributing to ...perceived fluency or the listener's impression of native-like speech. Research has emphasized the exceptional importance of explicitly teaching those lexical units that directly affect the development of speech fluency since they are very important in all phases during the process of speech production. The present study aims to expand the existing knowledge by providing insight into how formal teaching instruction can contribute to the automatization of different conjunctional adverbs to achieve coherence and contribute to perceived fluency. A group of eight students of German studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split recorded a spontaneous dialogue based on three given topics twice, before and after the intervention. The intervention included different speech tasks with the implementation of a variety of native like conjunctional adverbs (eg, in addition, moreover, in addition, in addition, therefore, namely, because of that, etc.). The results of the study have mostly shown that learners tend to employ an unsatisfactory repertoire of a variety of lexical units with a narrower range of different functions. In other words, an extreme overuse of the discourse markers and and also was recorded in the first dialogue. The analysis of the second recording after the intervention displayed no changes. moreover, moreover, in addition to, therefore, namely, because of, etc.). The results of the study have mostly shown that learners tend to employ an unsatisfactory repertoire of a variety of lexical units with a narrower range of different functions. In other words, an extreme overuse of the discourse markers and and also was recorded in the first dialogue. The analysis of the second recording after the intervention displayed no changes. moreover, moreover, in addition to, therefore, namely, because of, etc.). The results of the study have mostly shown that learners tend to employ an unsatisfactory repertoire of a variety of lexical units with a narrower range of different functions. In other words, an extreme overuse of the discourse markers and and also was recorded in the first dialogue. The analysis of the second recording after the intervention displayed no changes.
Environmental sustainability research suffers from a paucity of comprehensive, cross-cultural investigations and lacks insight into the interplay of human values and environmental beliefs and ...behaviors. In addition, despite the importance of understanding why consumers engage in active attempts to protect the environment, studies examining the role of environmental sustainability activism remain scarce, poorly integrated, and ill-defined. Against this backdrop, this research captures the links of specific human values with environmental sustainability beliefs and their subsequent relationships with individuals’ environmental sustainability activism and quality of life. Using data from the United States and China, the authors show that religiosity and interdependence are consistently related to environmental sustainability beliefs, whereas, contrary to previous findings, materialism has no significant relationship. In addition, generativity is positively linked with environmental sustainability beliefs only in the U.S. sample, whereas family values are significant only in the China sample. The results show that environmental sustainability beliefs influence environmental sustainability activism, which in turn is linked with individual perceptions of superior quality of life. The study discusses several implications for practice and identifies fruitful future research directions.
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