Understanding Apple Attribute Preferences of US Consumers

Apple preferences of US consumers are widely explored. However, the key factors that drive the importance that US consumers place on apple attributes are rather unexplored. To fill this literature gap, an online survey with 383 US apple buyers was conducted. A two-step analysis consisting of descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modelling indicates that subjective knowledge was the most important factor, determining both the discernment of buyers and attitudes towards US fruit growers. Objective knowledge and sociodemographic factors, other than education, were not found to have any impact. The discernment of a buyer and their ability to distinguish apple varieties had the greatest impact on the importance that US consumers placed on physical and commercial product attributes. It was also found that attitudes towards growers impacted on the importance which consumers place on both types of attributes. Given that consumer attitudes were shown to be a strong driver of their buying preferences, growers and grower associations should also consider highlighting the positive health and societal benefits that their products provide.

Prevention activities in ship loading and unloading operations

Only an objective knowledge of safety and health at work reality on the harbor platform and an active participation of all stakeholders (employers, unions, workers) can bring an improvement in this activity. The prevention of accidents at work by ensuring safe and healthy working conditions and maintaining the Occupational Safety and Health Management system are factors that continuously develop and improve safety performance by helping to actively manage risks. This paper aims to systematize the information available, both at European and national level so as to develop a strategy at the organizational level that can be included in a guide to optimal safety and health practices for harbor operations. The paper also proposes relevant practical aspects of safety and health at work in the activities carried out in the loading and unloading flow in / from the port of the ship, trying to support the knowledge and understanding of identification, assessment and prevention of specific risks.

Marketing and family-related factors affecting food label use: the mediating role of consumer knowledge

PurposeThis study investigated the influence of marketing- and family-related factors on consumers' in-store usage of different types of food label information. Furthermore, the authors determined the mediating role of consumers' knowledge about healthy foods between these factors and their label consultation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey among 223 purposively selected South African working female consumers via social media. Subjective and objective knowledge about healthy foods, the importance of marketing- and family-related factors and the extent of food label usage were determined. Structural equation modelling served to test the mediating effect of knowledge in the relationship of the marketing and family-related factors with food label usage.FindingsMarketing-related factors demonstrated a strong direct effect on food label usage. Subjective knowledge about healthy foods mediated the relationship between family members' dietary needs and food label usage. However, objective knowledge was not a mediator.Practical implicationsRespondents' firm reliance on marketing-related factors (instead of knowledge) during food label usage is not in the best interest of consumers' healthy food choices. Healthy food choices based on factual knowledge rather than marketing efforts are necessary to establish long-term healthy food habits, hence the need for retailers' response in supplying healthier food options. Role players in consumer education should focus on increasing consumers' healthy food knowledge.Originality/valueIn the context of rising awareness of public health concerns, healthy food choice among consumers is essential. This study contributes to the complexity of consumers' need to make healthy food choices within an economic-driven marketing environment.

Exploring consumer non-knowledge in the agrifood context and its effects on behaviour

PurposeConsumer knowledge has been one of the most studied variables in marketing due to its strong influence on consumer behaviour. Knowledge level has traditionally been measured through objective knowledge and the number of correct answers in a battery of items about product characteristics. The authors argue that this analysis could be complemented with other information, that is, the structure of non-knowledge. The main objective of this work is to explore the nature and explanatory potential of this new dimension on consumer behaviour in the agrifood context. The principal hypothesis is that, while they may have similar levels of objective knowledge, there are significant differences between the behaviour of consumers who have a predominant pattern of ignorance (tendency to answer “I don't know”) and those who are in error (tendency to give wrong answers).Design/methodology/approachThe present study draws on data derived from five case studies examining consumer knowledge about agrifood products (olive oils, Iberian ham and orange juice) and certain aspects of consumer behaviour. A sample of 4,112 participants was classified into two non-knowledge profiles: wrong, if most items answered incorrectly in a questionnaire were wrong; or ignorant, if most items answered incorrectly were “don't know”.FindingsThe results obtained supported the argument that complementing the study of consumer knowledge with an analysis of the structure of non-knowledge is worthwhile, as differences within the structure are associated with different patterns of consumer behaviour.Originality/valueIn the present study, it is proposed that the measurement of knowledge be complemented with an analysis of the consumer's non-knowledge structure (items not answered correctly), given its effects on behaviour, an aspect hitherto unconsidered in the literature. To do so, a new index is proposed.

INTER- AND GENERATIONAL DISCOURSE AS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE EVERYDAY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FICTION

Inter- and generational interaction takes place in everyday communication and serves as the basis of any society as it forms, regulates and maintains the existence of society by collecting, preserving and transferring knowledge and experience from generation to generation. The interaction of generations is practice based; it rationalizes the actions of individuals in society relying on common sense for the purpose of preserving the descendants and turning individual experience into objective knowledge for the following generations. This is done in everyday mundane interaction of generations. It is fiction that has accumulated this experience; it demonstrates not only the abundance of inter- and generational interaction but also its daily presence and vital character. The most vivid description of such generational or intergenerational interaction is seen in fictional works dealing with the relationships in the family, growing up of children and grandchildren and in novels of morals.

The Place of Skepticism in the 21st Century Gnoseological Debate: Selecting Logical Positivism and Postmodernism

This study is centered on The Place of Skepticism in the 21st Century Gnoseological Debate: Selecting Logical Positivism and Postmodernism. Within the context of Western philosophy, skepticism, which arguably began in the ancient times with the likes of Gorgias neither ends with the Contra Academicos of St. Augustine nor with Kant’s noumena as some scholars argued. Skepticism is an indispensable part of epistemic discourse that cuts across diverse ages of philosophical discipline ranging from the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary; and also permeates all the branches of philosophy. The philosophical postulates of the logical positivists who unequivocally argued that any proposition that cannot be subjected to their verification principle is meaningless, was occasioned by skepticism. The postmodernist philosophers’ argument against objective knowledge, grand totalizing, and their downplaying of foundationalism, was orchestrated by skepticism. It is the position of this study that skepticism is not only a continuum, but most importantly, the episteme-vitae (the life-wire of epistemology). As a necessary evil in the philosophical discipline skepticism is an inevitable driving force in the 21st century gnoseological debate, and instrumentum laboris (instrument of labour) in the hands of philosophers. The research methods employed in this work include: analytic, contextual, historical, and textual.

Allophilia and Experience: Predictors of Fear in Developing Dementia

Fear of developing dementia is common and has been linked to delays in seeking medical attention (Arlt et al., 2008). We used data from 320 adults (M age = 39.7, SD = 12.3, range 20 – 70) to examine the ways in which objective knowledge and subjective experience with dementia influence positive attitudes toward persons with dementia. We further examined how these constructs related to fear of developing dementia. A path analysis showed the model fit the data well, X2 (DF = 1) = 0.74, p = .39; RMSEA < .001. Objective knowledge and subjective experience were significantly associated with higher allophilia. Allophilia and subjective experiences were associated with personal fear. However, allophilia decreased fear, whereas subjective experiences were associated with increased fear of developing dementia. To clarify these findings, we conducted a moderated regression in which age was examined as a moderator of the relation between allophilia and fear as well as the relation between subjective experience and fear. Significant results were obtained [F (5, 294) = 10.41, p < .001; R2 = .15]. Age moderated the effect of personal experience on fear. Stronger effects emerged for adults in their 20s compared to those in their 40s; similarly, age exerted a stronger effect for those in their 40s than for those in their 50s. Regarding age effects on the relation between allophilia and fear of dementia, for adults in their 20s and 40s, allophilia reduced fear of dementia. For adults in their 50s, allophilia was associated with higher fear.

It Keeps the Good Boy Healthy from Nose to Tail: Understanding Pet Food Attribute Preferences of US Consumers

The study provides insights for marketing managers in specialized pet supplies retailers, as well as for vets and animal welfare organizations. This study proposes a model that investigates the importance pet owners place on convenience, natural ingredients, and value and health claims as product attributes. For this purpose, an online survey with a sample size of 206 pet-owning US residents was conducted. Partial least squares structural equation modelling shows that pet food purchase involvement positively impacts subjective and objective knowledge about pet food. Subjective knowledge appears to be the strongest factor impacting the importance consumers place on all three attributes. This is followed by objective knowledge. Socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, income, and education appear to have a limited impact as predictors for the importance consumers place on the product attributes.

Objective Knowledge Mediates the Relationship between the Use of Social Media and COVID-19-Related False Memories

The exposure to relevant social and/or historical events can increase the generation of false memories (FMs). The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a calamity challenging health, political, and journalistic bodies, with media generating confusion that has facilitated the spread of fake news. In this respect, our study aims at investigating the relationships between memories (true memories, TMs vs. FMs) for COVID-19-related news and different individual variables (i.e., use of traditional and social media, COVID-19 perceived and objective knowledge, fear of the disease, depression and anxiety symptoms, reasoning skills, and coping mechanisms). One hundred and seventy-one university students (131 females) were surveyed. Overall, our results suggested that depression and anxiety symptoms, reasoning skills, and coping mechanisms did not affect the formation of FMs. Conversely, the fear of loved ones contracting the infection was found to be negatively associated with FMs. This finding might be due to an empathy/prosociality-based positive bias boosting memory abilities, also explained by the young age of participants. Furthermore, objective knowledge (i) predicted an increase in TMs and decrease in FMs and (ii) significantly mediated the relationships between the use of social media and development of both TMs and FMs. In particular, higher levels of objective knowledge strengthened the formation of TMs and decreased the development of FMs following use of social media. These results may lead to reconsidering the idea of social media as the main source of fake news. This claim is further supported by either the lack of substantial differences between the use of traditional and social media among participants reporting FMs or the positive association between use of social media and levels of objective knowledge. The knowledge about the topic rather than the type of source would make a difference in the process of memory formation.