Nicotine replacement therapy ‘gift cards’ for hospital inpatients who smoke: a prospective before-and-after controlled pilot evaluation

IntroductionA common barrier identified by individuals trying to quit smoking is the cost of cessation pharmacotherapies. The purpose of this evaluation was to: (1) Assess the feasibility of offering nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) ‘gift cards’ to hospitalised smokers for use posthospitalisation; and, (2) Estimate the effect of providing NRT gift cards on 6-month smoking abstinence.MethodsA prospective, quasi-experimental, before-and-after controlled cohort design with random sampling was used to compare patients who had received the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC) intervention (‘control’) with patients who received the OMSC plus a $C300 Quit Card (‘QCI’), which they could use to purchase any brand or form of NRT from any Canadian pharmacy.Results750 Quit Cards were distributed to the three participating hospitals of which 707 (94.3%) were distributed to patients. Of the cards received by patients, 532 (75.2%) were used to purchase NRT. A total of 272 participants completed evaluation surveys (148 control; 124 QCI).Point prevalence abstinence rates adjusted for misreporting among survey responders were 15.3% higher in the QCI group, compared with controls (44.4% vs 29.1%; OR 1.95, 1.18–3.21; p=0.009). Satisfaction was high among participants in both groups, and among staff delivering the QCI. QCI participants rated the intervention as high in terms of motivation, ease of use and helpfulness.ConclusionsThe NRT gift card appears to be a feasible and effective smoking cessation tool that removes a primary barrier to the use of evidence-based smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, while motivating both patients and health providers.

Study on Mechanical Properties of Polyester with Addition of Recycle Gift or Members Card

Increasing usage of gift cards will end up increasing the waste. Instead of throwing in the dustbin, re-cycling the cards may help in increasing the product usage and contribute to the environment sustainability. In this study, the re-cycle gift cards were combined with polyester to produce polymer blend. The composition of re-cycle gift cards was 2, 4 and 6 wt%. The gift card was crush and mix with the polyester and hardener followed by casting to get the suitable shape based on the testing. Three testing was undergone to evaluate the polymer blend properties which are tensile test, Charpy’s impact test and Durometer hardness test. Similar trend was shown for all mechanical testing which showing an increase of performance from 2 to 4 wt% addition of recycle cards but reduce when achieved 6 wt%.

Restructuring MSME Businesses Through the Use of Digital Marketing as a Reflection on the Economic Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the role of MSMEs is very strategic as it reduces unemployment and poverty in Indonesia, thus providing solutions to economic and social problems. This study analyzes efforts in rescuing MSMEs to maintain the stability of the national financial system affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The study uses a qualitative descriptive approach with literature review and interviews. The interview's outcome was conducted to 100 MSMEs in Semarang City, Demak Regency and Kendal District shows the issues faced by MSMEs due to the Covid-19 pandemic are decreased sales and difficulty obtaining raw materials, business capitals and paying premises rents, also production and distribution disruption. The study concluded seven strategies for maintaining and increasing MSME sales: transforming its marketing and sales online, diverting products/services line, reallocation of the fund, hygiene, and halal assurance, providing vouchers or gift cards, accelerating asset sales, and reduction of labor. These seven scenarios are expected to encourage MSMEs to improve and develop their capacities to play the role of economic safety nets. However, the results of this study have limitations for MSMEs in areas that are still limited by internet networks, so that they have difficulty implementing digital-based marketing strategies.

Gift card types and willingness to spend more

Purpose This study aims to provide a better understanding of how gift card receivers react to the types of gift cards. This study examined the effect of gift card types (intangible experiences vs less intangible experience vs tangible goods) on a recipient’s willingness to spend more through emotions and perceived effort (Study 1) and on feeling of appreciation (Study 2). Design/methodology/approach Study 1 adopted a scenario-based 2 (tangible vs intangible) × 3 ($100 vs $200 vs $300) between-subjects design. Study 2 narrowed the scope of gift card type (intangible vs less intangible). Findings Receivers tended to perceive less effort in gift card selection and feel less emotion when receiving gift cards for intangible experiences than when receiving gift cards for both tangible and less intangible products. However, as face value increased, gift card receivers for intangible experiences felt more pleasure and, in turn, rated higher willingness to spend more money than face value than those with gift cards for tangible products. Research limitations/implications Future studies can rule out alternative explanations related to brand-related effects, previous experiences and personal preferences. Practical implications Service providers should put more effort into tangibilizing the intangibles to reduce receivers’ uncertainty. Also, they can increase their profitability by stimulating gift card receivers’ willingness to spend more money through pleasure. Originality/value Answering research calls for examining consumers’ perceptions of different gift card types, this study might be the first to unveil the differential effect of gift card types associated with the tangibility of products on purchase behavior and the underlying emotional mechanism.

Investigating the Feasibility of a Restaurant Delivery Service to Improve Food Security among College Students Experiencing Marginal Food Security, a Head-to-Head Trial with Grocery Store Gift Cards

Restaurant delivery services have gained in popularity among college students; however, students participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are not allowed to redeem their benefits via restaurant delivery services. This mixed-methods head-to-head crossover trial assessed whether college students experiencing marginal food security prefer benefits via a grocery store gift card (as a proxy for traditional SNAP benefits) or via a restaurant delivery service gift card of equivalent value, and which type of benefit is more effective at improving food security status. Thirty college students experiencing marginal food security were recruited to receive $80 in cash equivalent benefits to spend over a two-month period in the form of grocery store gift cards and restaurant delivery service gift cards. Participants completed surveys and interviews to measure their food security status and share their experiences with each benefit type. After four months of benefits, 48.3% of participants improved their food security status. However, neither type of benefit was statistically better at improving food security status. Most participants preferred grocery store benefits (89.7%) over restaurant delivery service benefits (10.3%). However, more research is needed to explore whether allowing SNAP recipients to redeem their benefits with restaurant delivery services is a viable mechanism to address food challenges among college students experiencing marginal food security.

504 Creative Aftercare Program Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic

Introduction Coronavirus disease presented itself early in 2019 inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry, and unknown throughout the United States. National and State governed laws imposed social distancing measures, quarantining citizens, and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives affecting people both physically and psychologically. A key component of quality of life of burn survivors consist of maintaining a long-term burn center connection through support groups. Our burn center developed a virtual format for aftercare to provide psychological support during the pandemic. Methods Regular attendees and new burn survivors were contacted by the aftercare specialist from an American Burn Associated verified burn center. Participants were surveyed on the best mode of contact and current addresses were obtained. “Happy Mail” was mailed to support group participants 3 times/month. Items included in these packages ranged from motivational sayings, gift cards, essential oils, candies, art projects, and reminders to log onto the virtual support groups. The gift packages also included a mental health check-in icebreaker. These gift packages took the place of our in-person support groups and contained all materials needed to engage and guide participation in the virtual monthly support group. Participants were then invited to join a social media support group for our local burn center. Results Burn survivors continued to receive quality psychosocial support to cope with and process feelings as well as validate emotions. Attendees regularly expressed gratitude in receiving “Happy Mail” as it brought a feeling of connectiveness to a group of burn survivors who rely on each other for peer support. The gift packages also served as a reminder of the upcoming virtual aftercare support groups as our attendance did not see a decline at monthly meetings. Conclusions Our experience suggests that a method of offering “Happy Mail” as part of a curriculum to augment virtual aftercare can be a model to adapt to the emotional support burn survivors and their family members need during the pandemic.

Enhancing the Retailer Gift Card via Blockchain

Though the retailer gift card has been an ultra-practical marketing tactic to attract customers to spend more, it, on the contrary, also places a great number of customers in troublesome situations due to its current limitations. First, dealing with unwanted gift cards is often time-consuming, costly, or even risky due to the frequent occurrences of gift card resale frauds. Worse still, the issuance and redemption of gift cards happen inside the retailer as in a “black-box,” indicating that a compromised retailer can cheat customers (or even third-party auditors) to deny the issuances of some unredeemed gift cards. This paper proposes a practical middle-layer solution based on blockchain to address the fundamental issues of the existing gift card system, with incurring minimal changes to the current infrastructure.

Season’s Cheatings: Beware of Holiday Scams

‘Tis the season…to be on the lookout for possible scams and fraud. It’s during this time of year that individuals are more focused on the spirit of the holidays and less focused on what may be happening with their pocketbook. AARP conducted a survey of 2,842 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to understand people’s awareness of and experience with a variety of scams that are common around the holidays. The study explored experiences with purchasing gift cards, shipping/receiving packages, and charitable giving. In addition, the survey tested the knowledge of adults about several specific scams with a ‘quiz’ of five true or false statements. Results showed that one in six (17%) U.S. adults failed the quiz. When making gift card purchases, one in five U.S. adults have given and/or received a gift card that had no funds on it. And only about half of U.S. adults conduct research before making a monetary donation to charitable causes or organizations. Of those who do check out a charity first, over half (54%) did not make a donation based on what they found on charity rating sites. Also, U.S. adults say that packages are left outside of their home without requiring a signature. Half (50%) of U.S. adults say they never require a signature when shipping packages to home addresses while about one in seven (15%) always require a signature. More education is needed to raise awareness of scams that are common during the holidays.