Changes in cigar sales following implementation of a local policy restricting sales of flavoured non-cigarette tobacco products

IntroductionOn 3 January, 2013, the city of Providence, Rhode Island, began enforcing a restriction on the retail sale of all non-cigarette tobacco products with a characterising flavour other than tobacco, menthol, mint or wintergreen. We assessed the policy impact on cigar sales—which comprise 95% of flavoured non-cigarette tobacco products sold through conventional tobacco retail outlets (eg, convenience stores, supermarkets) in Providence—over time and in comparison to the rest of the state (ROS).MethodsWeekly retail scanner sales data were obtained for January 2012 to December 2016. Cigar sales were categorised into products labelled with explicit-flavour (eg, Cherry) or concept-flavour (eg, Jazz) names. Regression models assessed changes in prepolicy and postpolicy sales in Providence and ROS.ResultsAverage weekly unit sales of flavoured cigars decreased prepolicy to postpolicy by 51% in Providence, while sales increased by 10% in ROS (both p<0.01). The Providence results are due to a 93% reduction in sales of cigars labelled with explicit-flavour names (p<0.01), which did not change significantly in ROS. Sales of cigars labelled with concept-flavour names increased by 74% in Providence and 119% in ROS (both p<0.01). Sales of all cigars—flavoured and otherwise—decreased by 31% in Providence (p<0.01). We detected some evidence of product substitution and cross-border purchasing.ConclusionsThe Providence policy had a city-specific impact on retail sales of flavoured cigars, which was attenuated by an increase in sales of concept flavour-named cigars. Products with concept-flavour names may avoid enforcement agency detection, and their continued sale undermines the intent of the policy.

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Changes in cigarillo availability following implementation of a local flavoured tobacco sales restriction

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056229 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-056229

Author(s):

Todd Rogers ◽

Doris G Gammon ◽

Ellen M Coats ◽

James M Nonnemaker ◽

Xin Xu

Keyword(s):

Policy Implementation ◽

Rhode Island ◽

Market Share ◽

Scanner Data ◽

Retail Sale ◽

Difference In Difference ◽

Cigarette Tobacco ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Tobacco Sales ◽

The Impact

IntroductionProvidence, Rhode Island (RI) was among the first US jurisdictions to enact a policy (effective 3 January 2013) restricting the retail sale of non-cigarette tobacco products with a characterising flavour other than the taste or aroma of tobacco, menthol, mint or wintergreen. We used scanner data to assess the impact of this sales restriction on retail availability of cigarillos, flavoured and otherwise, in Providence and a rest-of-state (ROS) comparison area.MethodsEvery unique cigarillo product—each indicated by a universal product code (UPC)—available for sale in RI from January 2012 to December 2016 was assigned to an exclusive flavour-name category (tobacco; explicit or concept flavour; or menthol/mint) based on characteristics in the scanner dataset and, as necessary, information from online websites. We calculated weekly unique cigarillo UPC counts and market share by flavour category and used difference-in-difference regression to assess prepolicy and postpolicy changes in counts and share in Providence relative to ROS.ResultsThe prepolicy to postpolicy decrease in the number of unique cigarillo products available in Providence was 28.64 (±5.83) UPCs greater than the comparable decrease in ROS (p<0.05). The prepolicy to postpolicy increase in the number of unique concept-named flavoured cigarillo products in Providence was 6.08 (±2.31) UPCs greater than the increase in ROS (p<0.05). The postpolicy market share of concept-named flavoured cigarillos was higher in Providence (27.32%, ±1.77) than ROS (12.67%, ±1.67) (p<0.05).ConclusionsAfter policy implementation, Providence consumers were exposed to fewer cigarillo UPCs but a greater variety and proportion of concept-named flavoured cigarillos in the retail marketplace.

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Regional determinants in the development of the Lviv startup ecosystem

Regional Economy ◽

10.36818/1562-0905-2019-4-6 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 74-86

Author(s):

Marianna Kokhan ◽

Anastasiya Mazur

Keyword(s):

Global Market ◽

Scientific Development ◽

Local Policy ◽

It Industry ◽

Successful Development ◽

Corporate Universities ◽

Regional Leadership ◽

Focus Strategy ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The article considers the concept of startups and ecosystems of startup development. It investigates the innovativeness ratings of countries and regional ecosystems of startups and the factors influencing the successful development of startups. The article considers the ranking of the best regional startup ecosystems in the world. It covers the experience of the leading regions, whose effectiveness is driven by attention to financing, networking, expanding access to markets, attracting and nurturing talents, accumulating experience and scientific development. Particular attention is given to the impact of the specialization and effectiveness of the regional focus strategy. Based on the methodology and results of the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking 2019, authors have empirically investigated the startup ecosystem of the Lviv city. Authors described and systemized the startups operating in the city, the elements, and dynamics of the urban startup infrastructure. The preconditions for successful development of startups - financing, talents, experience, connectedness, access to markets - have been identified. The effectiveness of the activity of city authorities, the local policy of promoting the startup environment development - documents, measures and results – have been investigated. The main factors of Lviv’s regional leadership in the development of digital startups in Ukraine are: the dynamic development of the IT industry, the development of digital competencies and the concentration of talent in leading universities, the development of corporate universities and innovative infrastructure, the development of infrastructure and comfort in the city. For the development of the Lviv startup ecosystem, it is recommended to focus the efforts on further accumulation and transfer of experience, retention of talents, improvement of technology transfer systems, focusing on areas of exclusive competence while expanding access to finance and the global market.

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What motivates Chinese physicians to provide online counseling services in Internet hospitals: online reputation or offline reputation? (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.24498 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ronghua Xu ◽

Tingting Zhang ◽

Qingpeng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Regression Models ◽

Counseling Services ◽

Online Counseling ◽

Consulting Services ◽

Online Consultation ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Professional Titles ◽

Online Reputation ◽

Chinese Physicians ◽

The City

BACKGROUND Internet hospitals, or e-hospitals, as one kind of e-health platforms in China, provided novel channels through which physicians present their medical or health-care knowledge to patients and provide online counseling services. The sustainable development of Internet hospitals and e-health platforms relied on the participation of both the patients and the physicians, especially on the provision of health consultation services by the physicians. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to explore the factors motivating Chinese physicians to provide online health counseling services from the perspectives of their online reputation and offline reputation. METHODS We collected the data of 141,030 physicians from 6,173 offline hospitals and 350 cities on WeDoctor, an Internet hospital platform authorized by the China Health and Family Planning Committee. We selected the physicians’ online consultation volume, the total amount of counseling conversations from all channels of the platform, as the investigated dependent variable, reflecting the actual online counseling behaviors of the physicians in the platform. Based on the reputation theories and prior study, we incorporated patients’ feedback as the physicians’ online reputation (i.e. patients’ comments and their satisfaction scores), and incorporated the physicians’ offline professional status as the offline reputation (i.e. professional titles and the rankings of their offline working hospitals). We also delved the moderated effects of the city levels where the physicians lived offline and the number of patients who were watching the physicians online. Eight research hypotheses were proposed. Step-wise linear regression models were used to test our hypotheses. Durbin-Watson test and robustness tests were also conducted to ensure the fitness and reliability of our models. RESULTS As a result of the regression models, we found that, 1) physicians’ online reputation, including the number of comments written by the patients (beta=0.588, P<0.001), the satisfaction scores (beta=0.034, P<0.01), significantly and positively influence physicians’ online counseling behaviors; 2) Physicians’ offline reputation, including their professional titles (beta=-0.084, P<0.001) and the hospital rankings (beta=-0.163, P<0.001), significantly and negatively influence physicians’ online counseling behaviors; 3) the city levels where the physicians lived strengthen the negative effect between their offline hospital rankings and their online consulting services (beta=-0.177, P<0.001), indicating that physicians of higher offline reputation spend less time on online counseling, possibly due to the relative heavier offline workload; 4) the number of watching patients weakens the positive effect between patients’ comments and physicians’ online consulting services (beta=-0.216, P<0.001), indicating that the watching patients may switch the channels from online consultation to offline hospital visits after using the Internet hospitals. CONCLUSIONS This study contributed to the literature on physicians online counseling behaviors in Internet hospitals by verifying the contrasting effects of the online reputation and the offline reputation. It then contributed to the motivation theory by separating the online reputation from the offline reputation when the acting entities have constraints of limited time and effort. This study can also provide practical insights for the hospital managers to better arrange for the online counseling services and for the policy makers to consider the patients’ online feedback into the overall evaluation of the physicians’ reputation.

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Convivial linguistic practices: lived togetherness through language in the United Arab Emirates

Multilingua ◽

10.1515/multi-2020-0088 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

William Robert Amilan Cook

Keyword(s):

United Arab Emirates ◽

Narrative Analysis ◽

Everyday Language ◽

Cross Border ◽

Language Choices ◽

The Face ◽

Small Story ◽

Small Stories ◽

Linguistic Practices ◽

The City

Abstract This paper takes up conviviality as an analytical tool to investigate everyday language choices made by foreign residents living in Ras Al Khaimah, a small city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It draws on recent work in human geography and cultural studies to understand conviviality in terms of practices rather than outcomes. Specifically, it investigates some of the linguistic dimensions of conviviality deployed by residents of the city in everyday situations of linguistic contact and negotiation of difference. The paper focuses on participants’ “small story” narratives (Georgakopoulou, Alexandra. 2015. Small stories research: Methods – analysis – outreach. In Anna De Fina & Alexandra Georgakopoulou (eds.), The handbook of narrative analysis, 255–272. Malden: John Wiley & Sons) that exemplify everyday language choices in the face of a highly ethnolinguistically diverse as well as racially and economically stratified society. Considering the multitude of ethnolinguistic and socioeconomic divisions in the city and the country as a whole, the paper unpacks how such cross-border contact is negotiated through everyday language practices. The paper identifies four types of convivial linguistic practices described by my participants: language sharing, benevolent interpretation, language checks and respectful language choices. In the process, I also probe the limits of what studying conviviality can tell us about everyday linguistic togetherness in highly segregated societies marked by stark inequalities.

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Patterns of non-cigarette tobacco and nicotine use among current cigarette smokers and recent quitters: Findings from the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lin Li ◽

Ron Borland ◽

K Michael Cummings ◽

Shannon Gravely ◽

Anne C K Quah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Cigarette Smoking ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Cigarette Tobacco ◽

Cigarette Smokers ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Patterns Of Use ◽

Levels Of Use ◽

Current Cigarette

Abstract Introduction This study explores patterns of use of non-cigarette tobacco and nicotine products among adult cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers. Along with cigarette smoking status we explore differences as a function of countries with different product regulations, gender and age. Methods Data came from the ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Wave 3 Survey conducted between February-June 2020. The analytic sample consisted of 9112 current cigarette smokers (at least monthly) and 1184 recent ex-smokers (quit cigarettes ≤ 2 years) from Australia, Canada, England, and the US. Respondents were asked about their cigarette smoking and current use of the following non-cigarette products: combustible tobacco (cigars, cigarillos, pipe, waterpipe); non-combustible tobacco (smokeless tobacco, and heated tobacco products (HTPs)); and non-tobacco nicotine products (nicotine vaping products (NVPs), nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and nicotine pouches)). Results Overall, NVPs (13.7%) and NRT (10.9%) were the most reported nicotine products used, followed by cigars (5.3%), cigarillos (4.2%), and HTPs (3.5%). More than 21% current and recent ex-smokers of cigarettes reported using a non-tobacco nicotine product and non-combustible product, with respondents in England reporting the highest levels of use (>26%). Males, younger respondents, and current non-daily cigarette smokers were more likely to use non-cigarette nicotine products. Notably, 11.6% of ex-cigarette smokers were using other combustible tobacco. Conclusion Considerable percentages of current cigarette smokers and ex-smokers use non-cigarette nicotine products, and there are unexpectedly high levels of use of other combustible products by those recent ex-smokers of cigarettes which is concerning and has important implications for definitions of smoking cessation. Implications The tobacco product market has evolved to include new products which add to existing non-cigarette tobacco products creating a much more diverse nicotine market. This brief report provides a snapshot of use of various combustible and non-combustible nicotine containing products among current cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers in four western countries. Our results indicate that use of non-cigarette tobacco and nicotine products among these cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers is not low, particularly among males, younger and non-daily cigarette smokers. Use of other combustible tobacco among respondents that recently quit cigarette smoking is concerning and has important implications for definitions of smoking cessation. Increased emphasis on researching non-cigarette nicotine product use is warranted in tobacco control generally and smoking cessation in particular.

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Euroregion as an Entity Stimulating the Sustainable Development of the Cross-Border Market for Cultural Services in a City Divided by a Border

10.20944/preprints201903.0017.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Łukasz Wróblewski ◽

Andrzej Kasperek

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Cultural Policy ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Cultural Services ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Cross Border ◽

The Cross ◽

The City

The article discusses the issue of the sustainable development of the cross-border market for cultural services in a city divided by the state border. The article uses the example of Cieszyn and Český Těšín, a city divided following the decision of the Council of Ambassadors in 1920. The research carried out so far indicates the main constraints in the harmonious functioning of the cross-border market for cultural services in this city, such as: different cultural policies implemented on both sides of the city, language barriers as well as legal and administrative differences. Therefore, the authors undertook research aimed at recognising the role of Euroregional structures in stimulating the sustainable development of this region. On the basis of the analysis of the Cieszyn Silesia Euroregion's documentation and the results of qualitative and quantitative research, the article describes the role of the Euroregion in building a cross-border market for cultural services. Recommendations were also prepared that could constitute the principles of a common cultural policy not only for Cieszyn and Český Těšín, but also for other European cities in the Schengen Area, which, like Cieszyn and Český Těšín, have been divided by a state border.

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An Urban Revolution Through Age Friendly Cities? The Case Of Toronto

10.32920/14648196.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Meghan Joy

Keyword(s):

Senior Citizens ◽

Right To The City ◽

Local Policy ◽

Public Provision ◽

Non Profit ◽

The Public ◽

Policy Actors ◽

Policy Program ◽

The City

This dissertation examines the claim that Age Friendly Cities (AFCs) represents an effective and revolutionary policy approach to population aging. The AFC approach is a placebased policy program intended to enhance the ‘fit’ between senior citizens and their environment. Mainstream accounts of AFCs claim that the program represents a paradigmatic shift in the way we think about aging, to move away from an individual health deficit approach to one that seeks to improve local environments by empowering seniors and local policy actors. However, initial critical literature notes that while AFCs may offer the potential to expand social and physical infrastructure investments to accommodate diverse population needs, they are being popularized in a conjuncture where the public sector is being restructured through narrow projects of neoliberalism that call for limiting public redistribution. This literature calls for further empirical studies to better understand the gap between AFC claims and practice. I heed this call through a qualitative case study of AFCs in the City of Toronto; a particularly relevant case because the recent Toronto Seniors Strategy has been critiqued for being more symbolic than substantive. My research represents a critical policy study as I understand AFCs not as a technical policy tool but as a political object attractive to conflicting progressive and neoliberal projects that use rhetorical and practical strategies to ensure their actualization. My approach is normative as I seek to provide insight for a transformative ‘right to the city’ for senior citizens through the AFC approach. I use literature on citizenship to understand the multiplicity of political projects that seek to expand or narrow the relations between people, environments and institutions through the AFC program. This understanding is based on the meanings 82 different policy actors from local government, the non-profit sector, academia, and other levels of government make of their everyday work in creating age-friendly environments. The broad question I ask is: How do local policy actors understand the rhetoric and practice of AFCs in Toronto and how do these understandings illustrate particular expansive and narrow political projects that affect the development of a right to the city for senior citizens through this policy program? I begin with an initial Case Chapter that scopes age friendly policy work in Toronto from a ‘seeing like a city’ perspective that identifies the complex multi-scalar and multi-actor nature of this policy domain. The Recognizing Seniors and Role of Place Chapters then examine AFCs rhetorically with respect to how local policy actors understand the ‘person’ and the ‘environment’. The Rescaling Redistribution and Restructuring Governance Chapters explore the practice of AFCs, including how local policy actors understand their capacities to design and deliver age-friendly services and amenities and the institutional mechanisms at their disposal to action AFCs. My findings challenge the claim that the AFC policy approach is effective, let alone revolutionary. I learn from policy actors that narrow projects of restructuring work to assemble seemingly progressive rhetoric and practice around active aging and localism to reduce universal public provision, expand the role of private citizens and their families to provide care, and use local policy actors as residual providers of last resort. My research documents how more expansive understandings of senior citizens as rights bearers and the role of the public and non-profit sector to recognize and redistribute on this basis are also in operation. Understanding these political projects more deeply through the AFC policy program helps me to offer policy insight as to what is needed both rhetorically and practically to craft a more effective and revolutionary alternative AFC model based on a right to the city for senior citizens.

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Pengaruh Kompetensi dan Kegiatan Komite Audit terhadap Kualitas Audit

Jurnal Kajian Akuntansi dan Auditing ◽

10.37301/jkaa.v14i1.6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 25-36

Author(s):

Dayu Swispa Pamantau

Keyword(s):

Regression Models ◽

Audit Committee ◽

Audit Quality ◽

Analysis Method ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

High Competence ◽

The City ◽

A Company

The accuracy of the determination of policies within a company is determined by the quality of the resulting audit by the auditor. Audit quality will be higher when the auditor assigned to have high competence in the field of audit, in addition to the quality of the audit will be better if the activities of the audit committee to provide oversight of internal party activities. Therefore, this study purpose to determine the effect of the competence and activities of the audit committee on audit quality. The study was conducted at the KAP region of the city of Padang and Pekanbaru. The sample used was 43 respondents. The analysis method used is to use multiple linear regression models. Based on the results of hypothesis testing results found that the competence and activities of the audit committee have a significant effect on audit quality auditors working in KAP of Padang and Pekanbaru city.

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Agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas in the United States: Highlights from the Census of Agriculture

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170514000040 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 64-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Stephanie Rogus ◽

Carolyn Dimitri

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Census Data ◽

Current Trend ◽

The United States ◽

Land Values ◽

Local Policy ◽

Urban Core ◽

Definition Of ◽

Vegetable Farm ◽

The City

AbstractUrban agriculture, a current trend in many US cities, is purported to bring enhanced food security, reduction of food waste, community building, open green space in cities and higher property values. However, the literature lacks an understanding of whether urban farming has extended beyond a compelling concept into the practice of farming in the city and peri-urban areas. The exact definition of an urban farm is challenging, since many urban farms have a primary mission of supporting social goals rather than providing food. Use of the USDA definition of farm omits many self-identified urban farms, but the most consistent measure of agriculture is the Census of Agriculture. Using census data, this paper finds that urban farms are smaller than the typical farm, and while the amount of urban and peri-urban farmland declined between 2002 and 2007, the total number of farms increased. Growth in farmland is positively related to land values, suggesting that increases in urban farmland are more likely to take place in population dense, land scarce areas. Spatial analysis of urban and peri-urban farms in the Northeast finds fewer clusters of farms in areas with high land costs. In the most populous Northeastern cities, the farms are more likely to be located in the peri-urban area than in the urban core. Urban farms in the Northeast were more likely to produce vegetables, eggs and goats. Significant levels of vegetable farm clusters were detected surrounding Providence, Boston and Hartford Metropolitan Statistical Areas, which are regions that had no significant level of clustering of total farms. Future analysis, incorporating data from the 2012 census, should provide insight into whether local policy changes have resulted in growth in urban farms and farmland.

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