Aging consumers and their brands: the customer journey perspective

PurposeWith the increasing numbers of the elderly people, the aging segment represents a potential huge market. While this trend is obvious, still little literature focuses on this group. The study thus fills up this gap. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the aging consumers' journeys from the lens of brand resonance pyramid and has its importance using context-specific theories to understand the elderly consumers.Design/methodology/approachCase study method is conducted using the in-depth interview to collect data and inductive method via MaxQda software to analyze. Two types of aging brand (i.e. age-denial and age-adaptive) are investigated (Moody and Sood, 2010). This study interviews 26 elderly consumers, among whom, 12 have experiences in sports gyms (i.e. age-denial) and 14 in hospital services (i.e. age-adaptive). The author also triangulates the results by interviewing two additional experts in these contexts.FindingsThe findings of the paper reveal that (1) brand functional benefit is important for both age-denial and age-adaptive brands while each has different dimensions. Brand experiential benefit (e.g. social, behavioral and intellectual experience) is important motivation for the age-denial brand and brand symbolic and brand psychological benefits are the emotional drivers for the age-adaptive brand. (2) Consequences of this journey include those, for example, brand satisfaction, brand loyalty, word-of-mouth and recommendation and (3) mediating mechanisms, e.g. brand sense of identification, brand psychological attachment and customization for both brand types, with exceptions of diversification and brand psychological attachment, and mutual interaction for the age-denial brand and doctor–patient relationship and consumer inertia for the age-adaptive brand. (4) The current study finds two new concepts for aging consumers, i.e. brand social experience in the age-denial brand and brand psychological benefit in the age-adaptive brand.Research limitations/implications(1) Results of the paper are context dependent and generalization issue might occur. (2) While it is analyzed using inductive method via MaxQda software, the interviewer's subjective bias might occur. (3) Interviewees are at their different life stages, i.e. early-old vs mid-old, and thus, these contextual factors might also influence the results.Originality/value(1) The current study explores the elderly consumers' experience journeys at three stages (i.e. pre-service, during-service and pro-service/loyalty loop) for age-denial and age-adaptive brands and deepen an understanding of this aging market; (2) offers practical implications to brands targeting at the elderly consumers, particularly the age-denial and age-adaptive brands; (3) uses customer journey theory and brand resonance pyramid as the lens to understand aging consumers, and results also partly echo with the theories and (4) explores two new concepts for aging consumers, i.e. brand social experience and brand psychological benefit, thus adding new dimensions to important constructs, i.e. brand experience and brand benefit.

In harm’s way, but not stressed about it: On the antecedents and consequences of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories proliferate during times of turmoil. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment in which virus-related conspiracy theories have thrived. The current study leverages prior research to shed light on the antecedents and consequences of conspiracy theory beliefs in the important, real-world context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we found that suffering greater negative economic consequences due to the pandemic predicted greater belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and this relation was strongest among those generally inclined to believe conspiracy theories. We then examined the consequences of coming to hold such beliefs. Greater endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories predicted less social distancing behavior, greater minimization of the threat of COVID-19, and lower levels of general stress. These findings replicate and extend prior research showing a link between conspiracy theory beliefs and rejection of scientific advice, but also offer evidence pointing to a psychological benefit of believing conspiracy theories.

Conventional tooth supported overdenture: A case report

The present prime concern in dentistry is on preservation of remaining natural teeth. Presence of few teeth in oral cavity help in preserving alveolar ridge integrity, maintain the proprioception, and gives psychological benefit to the patient. Overdenture has proven to be the mainstay of conservative prosthodontic treatment when proper diagnosis, treatment planning, and most importantly, patient compliance are achieved. This paper presents a case report of rehabilitation of a 65 year old patient with multiple missing teeth with tooth supported overdenture in both maxilla and mandible.

FPD Supported Cu-Sil Like Denture - A Simplified Approach to Preserve the Teeth and Bone

Cu-Sil denture is a simplified approach which helps in preserving the few remaining natural teeth .It is a new type of transitional denture which clasps the neck of the tooth providing space for the remaining teeth to emerge into the oral cavity through the denture. Preserving the remaining teeth not only preserves the alveolar ridge but also maintains proprioception providing psychological benefit for the patient. Cu-Sil denture is one such simpler clinical approach which offers many advantages. This case report represents a simple chair-side clinical approach to fabricate Cu-Sil denture by preserving the few natural teeth. Key words: Cu-Sil denture, transitional denture, proprioception.

Are “Stranger Donors” Irrational?

This chapter seeks to understand the motivations of people who offered to donate a kidney to a stranger. It explores the degree of emotional relationship that was essential to justify the claim that donation provided a psychological benefit to the donor. The chapter also mentions a law in the United Kingdom called the Unrelated Live Transplant Registry Authority which required organ donors to provide proof that they had a relationship with the recipient. In the United States, however, there is no federal legislation or public policy regulating stranger donors. The chapter then turns to discuss a study led by nephrologist Aaron Spital showing how attitudes within the transplant community gradually shifted from almost universal rejection of stranger donors to their gradual acceptance. It assesses the struggles that nephrologists went through in trying to determine whether such altruists were noble or irrational. Ultimately, the chapter offers a unique glimpse into the motivations of an altruistic donor and into the forms of skepticism that doctors and psychologists bring to evaluations of such donors.

Perceptions of active zumba members regarding the concept of "zumba": A metaphor analysis study

The purpose of this research is to determine the perceptions of the members participating in active zumba about the concept of "Zumba" with the help of metaphor. The research group consisted of 94 volunteers living in Ankara (age = 32.57 ± 9.91 years) and doing active zumba in various gyms. In the research, as a data collection tool, a "metaphor form" was prepared to determine the participants' perceptions about the concept of zumba. The research data were collected with the metaphor form sentence is written "Zumba is like …; because…. ” As the metaphors obtained in the research are used as a descriptive tool, one of the qualitative research approaches; content analysis was used.For the reliability of the analysis of the research data, the reliability coefficient between the participants was calculated and this value was found to be 97%. When the data were evaluated, it was determined that active zumba participant members produced a total of 35 metaphors.These metaphors were collected in 5 categories. While it was determined that the participants mostly developed metaphors related to the concept of zumba in the categories of "pleasure" and "feeling of happiness", these categories were followed by "health", "psychological benefit" and "socialization". The metaphors most produced by the participants are listed as entertainment, dance, chocolate, sports, lifestyle and life energy. As a result; in research for the concept of "zumba" of the participants; it has been determined that they use living, inanimate, abstract and concrete metaphors. Özet Bu araştırmanın amacı, aktif zumbaya katılan üyelerin ‘Zumba’ kavramına ilişkin sahip oldukları algıları metafor yardımıyla belirlenmesidir. Araştırma grubunu Ankara’da yaşayan (yaş = 32,57±9,91 yıl) çeşitli spor salonlarında aktif zumba yapan 94 gönüllü oluşturmuştur. Araştırma da veri toplama aracı olarak katılımcılara zumba kavramına ilişkin sahip oldukları algılarını belirlemek için “metafor formu” hazırlanmıştır. Araştırma verileri “Zumba…gibidir, Çünkü…”cümlesinin yazılı olduğu metafor formuyla toplanmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen metaforlar bir betimleme aracı olarak kullanıldığından nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin analizinin güvenirliği için katılımcılar arası güvenirlik kat sayısı hesaplanmış ve bu değer %97 olarak bulunmuştur. Veriler değerlendirildiğinde, aktif zumba katılımcısı üyelerinin toplam 35 metafor ürettiği görülmüştür. Üretilen bu metaforlar 5 kategoride toplanmıştır. Katılımcıların zumba kavramına ilişkin en çok “haz” ve “mutluluk hissi” kategorisinde metaforlar geliştirdikleri belirlenirken, bu kategorileri “sağlık”, “psikolojik fayda” ve “sosyalleşme” kategorileri izlemiştir. Katılımcıların en fazla ürettiği metaforlar eğlence, dans, çikolata, spor, yaşam biçimi ve hayat enerjisi şeklinde sıralanmıştır. Sonuç olarak; araştırmada katılımcıların “zumba” kavramı için; canlı, cansız, soyut ve somut metaforlar kullandıkları belirlenmiştir.

Uncovering the Mitigating Psychological Response to Monitoring Technologies: Police Body Cameras Not Only Constrain but Also Depolarize

Despite organizational psychologists’ long-standing caution against monitoring (citing its reduction in employee autonomy and thus effectiveness), many organizations continue to use it, often with no detriment to performance and with strong support, not protest, from employees. We argue that a critical step to resolving this anomaly is revisiting researchers’ fundamental assumptions about access to gathered data. Whereas previous research assumes that access resides nearly exclusively with supervisors and other evaluators, technological advances have enabled employee access. We hypothesize that with employee access, the psychological effects of monitoring may be far more complex than previously acknowledged. Whereas multiparty access may still decrease employee autonomy, it may also trigger an important psychological benefit: alleviating employees’ perceptions of polarization—the increasing social and ideological divergence between themselves and their evaluators. Access gives employees unprecedented opportunities to use the “objective” footage to show others their perspective, address evaluators’ erroneous assumptions and stereotypes, and otherwise defuse ideological tensions. Lower perceived polarization, in turn, attenuates the negative effects that low autonomy would otherwise have on employee effectiveness. We find support for these hypotheses across three field studies conducted in the law enforcement context, which has been a trailblazer in using technological advances to grant broad access to multiple parties, including employees. Overall, our studies shed light on the conflicting (and ultimately more innocuous) impact of monitoring and encourage scholars to break from prior approaches to account for its increasing egalitarianism.

Qualitative investigation of patient and carer experiences of everyday legal needs towards end of life

Background Legal issues are common in chronic illness. These include matters of daily life, such as problems with employment, finances and housing, where rights or entitlements are prescribed by law. They also include planning ahead, for example, making a Lasting Power of Attorney. However, the nature, impact and management of legal needs in the context of end of life care are not known. This study investigated these from the perspectives of patients and carers. Methods Patients, with estimated prognosis 12 months or less, and carers were recruited from two sites: day services within an urban hospice and primary care in an area of deprivation in North-East England. Semi-structured interviews explored the nature and impact of legal issues, access to appropriate support and unmet needs. Thematic analysis of data was undertaken. Results Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with 14 patients (10/14 hospice) and 13 carers (7/13 hospice). Five were patient-carer dyads. All participants had experienced problems raising legal issues, which generated significant practical and psychological challenges. All had struggled to access support for social welfare legal issues, describing not knowing what, who, or when to ask for help. All participants accessed some support, however routes, timing and issues addressed were variable. Facilitators included serendipitous triggers and informed healthcare professionals who offered support directly, or signposted elsewhere. A range of professionals and organisations provided support; resolution of issues conferred substantial benefit. The majority of participants identified unresolved legal issues, predominantly related to planning ahead. The challenge of facing increased dependency and death proved a key barrier to this; informed and compassionate healthcare professionals were important enablers. Conclusion Everyday legal needs are a common and distressing consequence of life-limiting illness, affecting patients and carers alike. This study identified inconsistent approaches but practical and psychological benefit when needs were met. Healthcare professionals were central to meeting social welfare legal needs and facilitating effective planning, with important roles as ‘critical noticers’, trusted intermediaries and compassionate communicators. Increased awareness, clearer pathways to support and closer service integration are needed to meet legal needs as a component of holistic care.

Evaluation of functional recovery after upper limb replantation

Background: Although it is not possible always, reconstruction of defects with tissue such as defect in the original tissue usually results in best functions and esthetic outcomes. Therefore, replantation of an amputated part is superior to any other method of reconstruction mainly when the condition of the amputated part is good. The goal of replantation after amputation is function. Returning of circulation to an amputated part does not, by itself, mean success. Therefore, replantation that will not lead to a useful activity should be avoided. This is usually the case with severely crushed and extensively avulsed limbs. Objectives: evaluation of functions’ outcome after replantation. Patients and Methods: This study deals with 18 patients (14 males, 4 females) with different injuries. Severely crushed and extensively avulsed limbs have been excluded from repair. The level of injury involved an arm in two patients, an elbow in one, a forearm in two, a palm in two, a thumb in two, and fingers in nine. The patients’ age ranged between 2 and 55 years, during the period between January 2012 and February 2016. Results: In all the cases, replantation of the amputated part was successful; however, there were variations in functional recovery among the cases: in three cases, the functional recovery was very good, in five, it was good, in eight, it was fair, and in two, it was poor. Conclusions: Replantation should be tried for most amputation cases, as it has a superior aesthetic and functional result and serves a major psychological benefit for the patients. High success in a rat can be achieved when one chooses to replant an amputated part in good condition, all the structures are repaired at the time of the primary operation, and there exist excellent post-surgery physiotherapy and good patient compliance. Keywords: Replantation; amputation; vascular repair, limb trauma, revascularization, microsurgery.