Are consumer profiling techniques equivalent for some product categories? The case of orange-flavoured powdered drinks

Abstract This research seeks to examine, first, whether and why consumers perceive divisible versus indivisible numbers differently and, second, how such divergent perceptions influence consumer preferences for marketer-created entities associated with divisible versus indivisible numbers. Integrating insights from two different literatures—numerical cognition and loneliness—we propose and find that numbers perceived to be divisible (vs. indivisible) are viewed as having more “connections” and are therefore deemed to be less lonely. Building on these findings and the literature on compensatory consumption, we then propose and demonstrate that a temporary feeling of loneliness increases participants’ relative preference for various targets—products, attributes, and prices—associated with divisible (vs. indivisible) numbers, which are perceived to be relatively more connected and less lonely. It merits mention that our findings are triangulated across a wide variety of numbers, different product categories, and multiple operationalizations of loneliness.

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Tracking the Fate of Aluminium in the EU Using the MaTrace Model

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources10070072 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 72

Author(s):

Gabriela Jarrín Jácome ◽

María Fernanda Godoy León ◽

Rodrigo A. F. Alvarenga ◽

Jo Dewulf

Keyword(s):

Secondary Production ◽

Economic Importance ◽

Baseline Scenario ◽

Light Weight ◽

The European Union ◽

High Corrosion Resistance ◽

Product Categories ◽

The Impact ◽

Selective Collection ◽

The Eu

Aluminium is a metal of high economic importance for the European Union (EU), presenting unique properties (e.g., light weight and high corrosion resistance) and with applications in important sectors (e.g., transportation, construction and packaging). It is also known for its high recyclability potential, but relevant losses occur in its life cycle, compromising the amount of aluminium available for secondary production. A novel methodology that allows the identification of these losses and their impact on the aluminium flows in society is the MaTrace model. The objective of this article is to perform a dMFA of the secondary production of aluminium in the EU technosphere using the modified version of MaTrace, in order to estimate flows of the metal embedded in 12 product categories. Twelve scenarios were built in order to assess the impact of changes in policies, demand and technology. The flows were forecasted for a period of 25 years, starting in 2018. The results of the baseline scenario show that after 25 years, 24% of the initial material remains in use, 4% is hoarded by users, 10% has been exported and 61% has been physically lost. The main contributor to the losses is the non-selective collection of end-of-life products. The results of the different scenarios show that by increasing the collection-to-recycling rates of the 12 product categories, the aluminium that stays in use increase up to 32.8%, reaffirming that one way to keep the material in use is to improve the collection-to-recycling schemes in the EU.

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Exploring Global Fashion Sustainability Practices through Dictionary-Based Text Mining

Clothing and Textiles Research Journal ◽

10.1177/0887302x21998268 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0887302X2199826

Author(s):

Muzhen Li ◽

Li Zhao

Keyword(s):

Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽

Corporate Sustainability ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Competitive Advantages ◽

Bottom Line ◽

Product Categories ◽

Sustainability Strategies ◽

Line Theory ◽

Sustainability Practices ◽

Sustainability Theory

Nowadays, more fashion companies have started to adopt various sustainability practices and communicate these practices through their annual public CSR reports. In this study, we aim to provide a holistic perspective of fashion companies’ sustainable development and investigate the sustainability practices of global fashion companies. A total of 181 CSR reports from 29 fashion companies were collected. A Dictionary approach text classification method, combined with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a computer-assisted topic modeling algorithm, was implemented to detect and summarize the themes and keywords of detailed practices disclosed in CSR reports. The findings identified 12 main sustainability practices themes based on the triple bottom line theory and the moral responsibility of corporate sustainability theory. In general, waste management and human rights are the most frequently mentioned themes. The findings also suggest that global fashion companies adopted different sustainability strategies based on their product categories and competitive advantages.

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Under the Umbrella: Goal-Derived Category Construction and Product Category Nesting

Administrative Science Quarterly ◽

10.1177/00018392211012376 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000183922110123

Author(s):

Johnny Boghossian ◽

Robert J. David

Keyword(s):

Process Model ◽

Product Category ◽

Derived Category ◽

The State ◽

Product Attributes ◽

Product Categories ◽

Role Of The State ◽

Market Intermediaries ◽

Category Construction

Categories are organized vertically, with product categories nested under larger umbrella categories. Meaning flows from umbrella categories to the categories beneath them, such that the construction of a new umbrella category can significantly reshape the categorical landscape. This paper explores the construction of a new umbrella category and the nesting beneath it of a product category. Specifically, we study the construction of the Quebec terroir products umbrella category and the nesting of the Quebec artisanal cheese product category under this umbrella. Our analysis shows that the construction of umbrella categories can unfold entirely separately from that of product categories and can follow a distinct categorization process. Whereas the construction of product categories may be led by entrepreneurs who make salient distinctive product attributes, the construction of umbrella categories may be led by “macro actors” removed from the market. We found that these macro actors followed a goal-derived categorization process: they first defined abstract goals and ideals for the umbrella category and only subsequently sought to populate it with product categories. Among the macro actors involved, the state played a central role in defining the meaning of the Quebec terroir category and mobilizing other macro actors into the collective project, a finding that suggests an expanded role of the state in category construction. We also found that market intermediaries are important in the nesting of product categories beneath new umbrella categories, notably by projecting identities onto producers consistent with the goals of the umbrella category. We draw on these findings to develop a process model of umbrella category construction and product category nesting.

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Molecularly targeted photothermal ablation improves tumor specificity and immune modulation in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-020-01522-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nina M. Muñoz ◽

Crystal Dupuis ◽

Malea Williams ◽

Katherine Dixon ◽

Amanda McWatters ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Indocyanine Green ◽

Tumor Immunity ◽

Rat Model ◽

Thermal Ablation ◽

Immune Modulation ◽

Photothermal Ablation ◽

Profiling Techniques ◽

Tumor Immunogenicity ◽

Tumor Specificity

AbstractThermal ablation is a standard therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Contemporary ablation devices are imperfect, as they lack tumor specificity. An ideal ablation modality would generate thermal energy only within tumoral tissue. Furthermore, as hyperthermia is known to influence tumor immunity, such a tumor-specific ablation modality may have the ability to favorably modulate the tumor immune landscape. Here we show a clinically relevant thermal ablation modality that generates tumor-specific hyperthermia, termed molecularly targeted photothermal ablation (MTPA), that is based upon the excellent localization of indocyanine green to HCC. In a syngeneic rat model, we demonstrate the tumor-specific hyperthermia generated by MTPA. We also show through spatial and transcriptomic profiling techniques that MTPA favorably modulates the intratumoral myeloid population towards tumor immunogenicity and diminishes the systemic release of oncogenic cytokines relative to conventional ablation modalities.

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