Investigating the moderating effect of the demographic factors on post-purchase regrets at malls in Sri Lanka

As of 2020, the retail sector faced an existential challenge with rapid changes as one of the many sectors. The recent impact was noted due to the present COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world. Most customers have moved on with e-commerce platforms, while traditional customers still struggle with in-store shopping. This study was specifically aimed at the conventional customers who do in-store shopping in complexes. The objective of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of the demographic factors on post-purchase regret at malls. Two factors affecting post-purchase regret, namely, the number of alternatives forgone and the return process experience, were considered. Accordingly, the moderating effects of demographic factors of consumers who have purchased something from a shopping mall during the past two years were targeted for this. By conducting an online survey using a structured questionnaire, 383 responses were collected. Through the moderation effect analysis, the consumer career was identified as moderating variable for this relationship. The rest of the demographic factors considered for this study did not significantly moderate this relationship. The findings suggest that the number of alternatives in showcase must be limited with a sense of marketing. Further, the staff at the shop must provide proper guidance on the return process and related service by identifying loyal and non-loyal customers’ careers and lifestyles.

The rise of South Kurdistan to Iran after 1974 and its impact on the Iranian culture

Followed the war of 1974 between Kurdish rebellions and Iraqi government, a new wave of Iraqi Kurdish asylums to the Iran came into existence and continued to 1988. In the result, hundred of thousand of Kurdish people fleed to Iran. Meanwhile, the return of all of those people after the 1991 revolution took even a longer time to materialize, since the return process started in 1991 and ended just few years ago. The main question of the research is to know that to what extend Kurdish people have been under the influence of Persian culture? Bearing in mind that the influence was obvious, we want to know which cultural element had much more influence compare to the others? Furthermore, it is a qualitative research with focus on ethnographic strategy. We used semi-organized interview and observation for collecting data. In the result, we realized that there exists a high amount of cultural influence on Kurdish people, as well as, the fact that the influence is differ from a person to another. The outcome of living in a different culture and being influenced by that culture, derived them to have their own microculture by now. Key words: culture, asylum,

Wiedereingliederung – und dann? Nachhaltigkeitskonflikte um die Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz nach psychischer Erkrankung

Zusammenfassung Bei der Betrachtung betrieblicher Wiedereingliederung wird in der Regel der Prozess des betrieblichen Eingliederungsmanagements (BEM) fokussiert. Unberücksichtigt dabei bleibt häufig, dass Wiedereingliederung auch nachhaltig sein soll. Rückfällen und erneuter Erkrankung Betroffener soll vorgebeugt ­werden. Damit rückt die Zeit nach der Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz in den Fokus. Am Beispiel psychischer Erkrankungen wird untersucht, welche potenziell aus Arbeitsunfähigkeit und Rückkehrprozess resultierenden Folgekonflikte die Nachhaltigkeit von BEM bedrohen. Anhand problemzentrierter Interviews mit Betroffenen, KollegInnen sowie Führungskräften wird gezeigt, dass es hierbei um soziale Konflikte geht, die aus konkurrierenden Interessenkonstellationen resultieren. Diese sind zugunsten akzeptierter Lösungen auszutarieren, um den langfristigen Reintegrationserfolg nicht zu gefährden. Abstract: Occupational Reintegration – What Comes Next? Sustainability Conflicts Around Return to Work After Psychic Disorder When it comes to return to the workplace, typically the process of the return itself is focused. However, terms of sustainability are often underexposed. Relapses and newly occurring disorders should be avoided. For this reason, subsequent development at the workplace is important. By taking the example of psychic disorders, this paper examines follow-up conflicts resulting from sick leave and the return-process, which are threatening sustainability demands. Problem-centered interviews with returnees, colleagues, and local leaders show the impact of social conflicts, resulting from competing constellations of interests. To promote sustainable reintegration socially accepted solutions are needed.

Reverse Logistics in E-Retaling

Consumers mostly prefer internet for reasons such as accessing product immediately, convenience, time saving. However buying products without observing physically causes some troubles. This situation results in return of the purchased product. The return process that is going to be experienced by the customer who wants to return or change his/her product is important for the companies. Managing return process without troubles is going to affect loyalty, satisfaction, revisiting, repurchasing, consumers messages, which are going to be get across to his/her environment. Because of these reasons, it is imperative for the companies to pay attention to the reverse logistic activities that they will undertake for the end consumers. The aim of this chapter is to indicate the importance of reverse logistics in e-retailing.

Perspectives of Return Sustainability in Rural Areas of Podrinje

The return of refugees and internally displaced persons is an activity in which all individuals are provided with the opportunity to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity to their homes that they had to leave during the conflict. Even after more than a decade, the problem of refugees and internally displaced persons is generally very topical [1]. Even eighteen years after the war, there are still many problems related to IDPs. It’s not just the return process that’s problematic. Displaced persons face various challenges related to access to employment, public services, education and infrastructure [2]. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter BiH), during the 1992-1995 war, 2.2 million people were forced to flee their homes [3]. Upon return, returnees should seek restitution or compensation and should receive strong reintegration and rehabilitation support to build a livelihood and contribute to long-term economic and political development. Safe and voluntary return includes a guarantee of return choices and security for those who choose to return. The aim of the study was to examine the views of returnees on the problems in society faced by the population / returnees in three different time periods, in 1992, after return and today, to improve the conditions for sustainable return. Unemployment is ranked in the top three as the most significant problem of the population returning to their homes. The justice system, the problem of minorities, public funding, security, the slow EU accession process and climate change are not considered by returnees as significant problems for sustainable return.

Consumer Return Policies in Omnichannel Operations

We study the pricing and return policy decisions of an omnichannel retailer serving customers who differ in how they realize their uncertain valuation for a product—by inspecting in store before purchase or by purchasing online and possibly returning misfit products. Customers may return misfit products either to stores for a full refund or online as per the firm’s return policy. We model prices to be identical across channels, allow crosschannel returns, and endogenize customers’ purchase and return decisions, capturing typical features of an omnichannel setting. Our analysis helps explain why some omnichannel firms choose full refunds, whereas others charge a fee for online returns. We find that omnichannel firms with good salvage partners for online returns (e.g., Nordstrom) as well as those with more store-based customers (e.g., Macy’s) should offer full refunds. Similarly, firms are incentivized to offer full refunds for products that customers are more likely to inspect in store (e.g., Express for footwear). In contrast, firms with a significant store network and better in-store salvage opportunities (e.g., J.C. Penney) might be better off charging a fee for online returns in order to nudge customers to return in store. Finally, an omnichannel firm should be cautious both in making the return process more convenient and in improving accessibility to its stores, because these seemingly beneficial policies, if combined with a partial-refund policy, could undermine the firm’s overall profit. This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.

Does Topography Influence Millipede's Abundance and Biomass in an Oriental Beech Forest, Iran?

BackgroundMillipedes acting as one of the important soil organisms having an important influence on decomposition of vegetation and nutrient cycling and their return process to the soil ecosystem, and they usually can be found under the litter layer within the shallow depths. Topography with changing soil traits and plant’s composition will result in changes in soil biota, by the reaction of microsite condition to topography variables. It has been documented that millipedes are not considered as an exception to this trend, so we aimed at study the changes in millipede’s density and biomass with regard to the landforms and soil depth. We studied the effect of catena shape and slope position and different soil depths on millipede’s abundance and biomass. ResultsThe results of our study indicated that millipedes can affect by topography to high levels, in a way that they are more abundant with higher biomass in humid areas such as V-shaped catena and lower slope position than the C-shaped catena and upper slope positions. We also observed that the biomass and density of millipedes decrease with increasing the soil depth. ConclusionIt appears that the factors such as soil moisture, pH, plant composition, and N are the most important factors in millipede’s abundance and diversity with more emphasis on soil moisture as the main factor.

Dirofilaria immitis in wolves recolonizing northern Italy: are wolves competent hosts?

Background Wild carnivores such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) are recognized hosts of Dirofilaria immitis. However, few studies have focused on their actual role in the epidemiology of heartworm infection. This study describes the prevalence and distribution of D. immitis in wolves in a heartworm-endemic area in northern Italy where wolves have recently returned after long-time eradication, and investigates the fertility status of the collected adult nematodes. Methods In the frame of a long-term wolf monitoring programme in northwestern Italy, 210 wolf carcasses from four provinces were inspected for the presence of filarioid nematodes in the right heart and pulmonary arteries. Female heartworms were measured, and their uterine content analyzed according to a previously described “embryogram” technique. Results Three wolves, all originating from a single province (Alessandria), were positive for D. immitis (1.42%, 95% CI: 0.48–4.11%, in the whole study area; 13.6%, 95% CI: 4.7–33.3%, limited to the single province from which infected wolves originated). Mean intensity was 5 worms (range: 3–7) and the female worms measured 21–28 cm in length. Six out of 9 female worms harbored uterine microfilariae: 5 were classified as gravid; 1 showed a “discontinuous gradient”; and 3 were non-gravid. Conclusions The present data show that heartworm infection is already prevalent in wolves that have recolonized the known heartworm-endemic area. Based on “embryogram” results, wolves were shown suitable heartworm hosts. Interestingly, investigated wolves appeared similarly exposed to heartworm infection as sympatric unprotected dogs (owned dogs that have never received any heartworm prevention treatment) sampled at the beginning of the wolf return process.

Return to Work after Common Mental Disorders: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Expectations of the Involved Stakeholders

Common mental disorders (CMDs) are risk factors for long-term sickness absence and unemployment. Therefore, return-to-work (RTW) processes have been introduced to facilitate the return of employees. As the success of RTW processes is considered to be determined by the cooperativeness of the involved stakeholders, we aimed to investigate the views of those stakeholders to disclose potentially diverging expectations. Qualitative interviews were conducted (08/2018-04/2019) among five stakeholder groups: returnees with a diagnosed CMD who were eligible for a RTW process; health care professionals nominated by the returnees; supervisors, colleagues and occupational physicians (the latter three groups were not nominated by the returnees). In total, 24 returnees, 13 health care professionals, 13 occupational physicians, 9 supervisors and 9 colleagues were interviewed (68 interviews in total). Potentially diverging expectations of the stakeholders related to whether diagnoses need to be disclosed by returnees. Agreement existed in terms of the need for a trustful relationship between employees and occupational physicians to initiate a RTW process early. As the understanding of all stakeholders’ viewpoints is one of the main factors promoting a successful RTW, we explored the expectations of those involved in the RTW process. One implication of our findings is to strengthen the role of occupational physicians, who could coordinate the return process.