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Understanding consumer perceptions of expiry dates for cosmetics
No full textThe topic of cosmetics expiration is under researched in the marketing literature, and consumers can lack awareness about it. However, cosmetics expiration is important because it represents a consumer health issue, as illustrated by several papers published in medical journals. The aim of this research is to understand the role of cosmetics expiration date – specifically the Period After Opening (PAO) in cosmetics marketing, and how it influences consumer behaviour in the UK and China markets. This is the first study in a marketing management context that has investigated the role of PAO in consumer behaviour.
The research adopts a mixed method approach and employs three studies: qualitative interviews in both countries (the UK and China), a quantitative experimental design in the UK, as well as a large survey in China. The data are analysed using NVivo, SPSS, AMOS and Fuzzy logic.
The main findings and contributions to knowledge are: From the qualitative work: 1) A perceived risk framework is useful to an understanding of consumer attitudes to PAO in cosmetics. Self-brand connection (SBC) risk and environmental risk should be added to the existing risk framework. 2) Two major positionings in the cosmetics market can be identified: brands which emphasise the science behind their production and brands which emphasise their use of natural ingredients. 3) Some differences in PAO attitudes emerged by country (China versus the UK).
In the UK study, psychological risk emerged as the most important in explaining overall risk, which is compatible with prior work. For UK respondents, the longer the PAO, the higher their purchase intention, irrespective of the brand type, thereby demonstrating that PAO can be a marketing signal as well as a statement of shelf life.
In the China study, however, social risk emerged as more important, which can be explained by cultural differences. Different segments exist in the China market, defined by brand type, PAO, price and product type. PAO again emerged as a marketing signal. Both the UK and China studies indicate PAO and perceived risk can interact, and that such interaction can help explain the relationship between brand image and purchase intention. Specifically, perceived brand warmth is not as strong a predictor of purchase intention for cosmetics as prior work suggests it should be, and the interaction between PAO and perceived social risk in China and psychological risk in the UK helps explain why
PES-g-BST/PEEK composites modified by surface grafting with high dielectric tunability
Get PDF© . This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Ceramic/polymer composites have been widely utilized due to their outstanding dielectric and mechanical properties. The interfacial bonding between ceramic and organic phases has a significant effect on the properties of composites. Therefore, enhancing the interfacial bond strength has become a hot issue. In this work, a chemically modified PES-g-BST/PEEK composite was prepared via cold-pressing sintering. The chemical bond was constructed to connect one end of PES (polyether sulfone) with BST (barium strontium titanate) and the other end with PEEK (polyether ether ketone) by using 4,4′-Diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), which enhanced the interface combination between ceramic fillers and organic phase. The influence of the surface grafting method and the amount of DDS on the microstructure and dielectric characteristics of the PES-g-BST/PEEK composite was investigated, and the amount of DDS was optimized. The permittivity, dielectric tunable efficiency, and dielectric tunability of the composites were improved. A chemically modified PES-g-BST/PEEK composite with improved dielectric properties and high dielectric tunability was obtained. The dielectric tunability amounts to 38.16 % under a 7 kV/mm bias, accompanied by a low dielectric constant of 14.5 and a dielectric loss of 0.076 (1 kHz). This work provides a way of enhancing the interface bonding of ceramic/polymer composites to improve dielectric tunability.AAM added to record 04/12/202
‘Chances are you’re about to lose’: new independent Australian safer gambling messages tested in UK and USA bettor samples
Get PDFCurrent industry-developed safer gambling messages such as ‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’ have been criticized as ineffective slogans. As a result, Australia has recently introduced seven independently-developed safer gambling messages. The UK Government intends to introduce independently-developed messages from 2024 onwards, and this measure could be similarly appropriate for the US states where sports betting has been legalized and gambling advertising has become pervasive. Given this context, the current study recruited race and sports bettors from the UK and USA to elicit their perceptions of the seven Australian safer gambling messages. Participants (N = 1865) rated on a Likert-scale seven newly introduced messages and two existing ones (‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’) using seven evaluative statements. Participants also reported their levels of problem gambling severity. For most statements in both jurisdictions, the new messages performed significantly better than the existing ones. Specifically, the new messages were deemed more attention grabbing, applicable on a personal level, helpful to gamblers, and more likely to encourage cutbacks in gambling. The message that included a specific call to action (‘What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit’) was one of the best performing messages. Interaction effects observed in relation to jurisdiction, age, gender, and problem gambling severity were generally small enough to counteract the argument that different populations might benefit from substantially different messages. These findings add to previous research on the independent design of effective safer gambling messages
Hunter-gatherers in the landscape
Get PDFThe work of the Seamer Carr project and the VPRT has created an unparalleled record of the human occupation of a North European, early prehistoric landscape. The test-pitting surveys and open-area excavations have recorded evidence for human activity that ranges in scale from discrete hunting events to the long-term, repeated occupation of particular landscape locations. Added to this, systematic augering of large parts of the basin, accompanied by palaeoenvironmental studies at key sites, has produced a detailed account of the environmental context within which these episodes of human activity took place. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an interpretive summary and synthesis of this data, beginning with an overview of the archaeological record of hunting and gathering/foraging around the shores of the former Lake Flixton and the islands near its centre, and what this can tell us about the changing nature of hunter-gatherer settlement, resource utilisation, logistics and material traditions between the Final Palaeolithic and the Late Mesolithic. The second part of the chapter brings together the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data to explore the changing relationships between humans and their environment.The financial support provided over the course of over four decades of fieldwork and post-excavation activities by Historic England (and its previous iterations as English Heritage and the Ancient Monuments section of the Department of the Environment), North Yorkshire County Council, the Leverhulme Trust and a host of additional sponsors of the Vale of Pickering Research Trust (VPRT) is gratefully acknowledged. As is the generosity, logistical support, contributions and patience of the numerous landowners, VPRT trustees and fieldwork supervisors and volunteers over the years, without which this work would have been impossible.AAM of chapter initially deposited and embargoed. Replaced by VoR on publication 23/07/2025
Year Abroad (A Dialogue)
Get PDFThis article is the product of an exchange that took place over the course of two months between March and May 2023 and offers reflections on how the year abroad in Modern Languages has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The four contributors each bring a distinct expertise in year abroad provision and represent different language areas and geographical regions of the United Kingdom. The core themes explored in the discussion are the need for flexibility and resilience in degree programmes, the importance of accessibility and inclusion, and the challenges and opportunities of digital developments in a mobilities context. As well as reflecting on the impact of the pandemic on year abroad provision, the contributors also dwell on how the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has altered the year abroad landscape
Sonic hedgehog specifies flight feather positional information in avian wings
Get PDFClassical tissue recombination experiments performed in the chick embryo provide evidence that signals operating during early limb development specify the position and identity of feathers. Here, we show that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling in the embryonic chick wing bud specifies positional information required for the formation of adult flight feathers in a defined spatial and temporal sequence that reflects their different identities. We also reveal that Shh signalling is interpreted into specific patterns of Sim1 and Zic transcription factor expression, providing evidence of a putative gene regulatory network operating in flight feather patterning. Our data suggest that flight feather specification involved the co-option of the pre-existing digit patterning mechanism and therefore uncovers an embryonic process that played a fundamental step in the evolution of avian flight
Computationally modelling cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis
Get PDFCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. The underlying pathological driver of CVD is atherosclerosis. The primary risk factor for atherosclerosis is elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism is synonymous with a rise in LDL-C. Due to the complexity of cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis mathematical models are routinely used to explore their non-trivial dynamics. Mathematical modelling has generated a wealth of useful biological insights, which have deepened our understanding of these processes. To date however, no model has been developed which fully captures how whole-body cholesterol metabolism intersects with atherosclerosis. The main reason for this is one of scale. Whole body cholesterol metabolism is defined by macroscale physiological processes, while atherosclerosis operates mainly at a microscale. This work describes how a model of cholesterol metabolism was combined with a model of atherosclerotic plaque formation. This new model is capable of reproducing the output from its parent models. Using the new model, we demonstrate how this system can be utilized to identify interventions that lower LDL-C and abrogate plaque formation
Writing Partnerships in Higher Education: A Guide for Academics and HE Professionals
No full textThis is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in [Writing partnerships in higher education: A guide for academics and HE professionals] on [date of publication], available online: http://www.routledge.com/[BOOK ISBN URL]International collaborative writing groups (ICWGs), working with a sponsoring organization, have had a major impact on capacity building and developing learning communities, as well as producing quality outputs (Healey, 2017; ISSOTL, nd). They are about “working creatively, critically and collaboratively to address a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) challenge from a multi-perspective lens” (Abrahamson, 2023). ICWGs usually involve groups of staff and students from different countries working together with a leader in small teams to write articles about pre-selected topics for submission to an international peer-reviewed journal. The process normally lasts around 18 months from announcement to submission, with participants working mostly online. The highlight is when all the teams come together for between 2 and 3 days, before or after an international conference, to work intensively on their articles. Whilst this model has predominantly been used within the context of SoTL, it is easily transferable to other topics and disciplines.
We ran the first full ICWG in SoTL from 2004-06 for geographers, drawing on the experience of running an international seminar in 1999 that piloted many of the features that subsequently came to characterise ICWGs (Healey, 2006; Healey et al., 2000)). Subsequently in 2012 we introduced ICWGs to ISSOTL (Healey et al., 2013). We have experienced each of the three ICWG roles – event facilitator, group leader, and co-author – several times in the last 25 years (Table 1). In this chapter we offer advice based on our reflections on these experiences, and the research evidence on the opportunities and challenges ICWGs have provided for participants. We outline some suggestions for how participants playing the different ICWG roles may make the most of their experiences, and how the model might be used by the wider SoTL community and other academic communities to support local, national, and institutional collaborative writing groups. We begin by exploring the nature and purposes of ICWGs in SoTL
Emancipating Voice: the role of Drama in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people in a secondary school setting
Get PDFThe aims of this arts-based research study are to examine how the mental health and wellbeing of young people in a secondary school setting is supported through a Drama curriculum, using performance poetry, found poetry and verbatim theatre as data. The participants were observed engaging in workshops in which the critical pedagogical approach of Open Space Learning (OSL) was applied. This pedagogy enables a shift in power between the teacher and the learner, encouraging democratic, explorative, and creative learning.
The study was structured through an arts-based methodology, using a triangulation of data through dramaturgical approaches, framing the data through performance poetry, found poetry and Verbatim Theatre to explore the experiences of a sample of Year 9 and Year 10 Performing Arts students. Observation of their creative practice in Spoken Word and Verbatim Theatre workshops, and the found poetry crafted collaboratively from semi-structured interviews generated the data, with an analysis of the emerging themes from their creative practice. The constraints of curriculum planning in educational policies and Bourdieu’s theories of habitus, capital and symbolic violence were considered. This is supported with arguments for a more inclusive curriculum in secondary education by acknowledging the value of Drama in supporting students with their mental health and
wellbeing at a time when the Arts are being marginalised in curriculum provision, particularly in state schools in areas of high unemployment and socio-economic depravation. This approach explores the impact of locality on the aspirations of the
participants, in how the extent to which their view of the world is shaped by a gradual internalisation and acceptance of local historical influences which may subsequently have a subordinating and coercive effect within seemingly prescribed or accepted forms of habitus.
The research focuses on two key areas, specifically, Drama as a subject and its value as an aspirational art form, and the mental health and wellbeing of students in a secondary school setting. Both key aspects of the research seek to investigate through an arts-based research methodology, the extent to which habitus and capital may shape the mental health and wellbeing of the students, and how the inclusion of Drama in the secondary school curriculum supports the social and academic development of young people
Co-opetition and Higher Education – A Grounded Theory Study into the Evolution of a Shared Vision for Health Care Practice Learning within the North-West Practice Education Group
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to explore how co-opetition is experienced by healthcare academics who are members of the North-West Practice Education Group [NWPEG]. The research was undertaken across seven universities in the North-West of England. Healthcare academics who had a role associated to practice learning and who were members of the North-West Practice Education Group [NWPEG] participated in the study. Constructivist grounded theory [CGT] was the chosen methodology, with interviews and focus groups being the preferred data collection strategies. Constant comparative analysis as outlined by CGT was undertaken during the data collection and analysis phase, which facilitated the emergence of codes and categories. Integral to CGT is that of the researcher, their position within the research and how they interact with the processes. Reflexivity and critical thinking are intertwined within the research process, as this enables the researcher the opportunity to contextualise their position within the research.
The findings identified three major categories, which highlighted both strengths and tensions of working within co-opetition. Co-opetition supported collaboration across the universities, and this was strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tensions and tussles arose when there was an imbalance between internal and external relationships and strategic and operational expectations of the participants’ roles. The impact of these tensions affected participants’ ability to work within co-opetition. There was an overarching sense of pride from participants regarding the work developed and produced within the NWPEG, yet this was not celebrated. The study contributes to the existing literature and evidence base of co-opetition and offers unique insights into how co-opetition supports the development and evolution across informal networks. This study also offers unique recommendations for future research specifically for healthcare education and practice learning
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