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Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi species belonging to the genera Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. The proliferation of OTA-producing fungal species may occur due to inadequate practices during both the pre-harvest and post-harvest stages of feed. Consequently, poultry species may be exposed to high concentrations of this mycotoxin that can be transferred to animal tissues due to its carry-over, reaching dangerous concentrations in meat and meat products. Therefore, this review aims to propose a comprehensive overview of the effects of OTA on human health, along with data from global studies on the prevalence and concentrations of this mycotoxin in avian feeds, as well as in poultry meat, edible offal, and eggs. Moreover, the review examines significant gross and histopathological lesions in the kidneys and livers of poultry linked to OTA exposure. Finally, the key methods for OTA prevention and decontamination of feed are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the substantial implications of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA) on the developing FinTech industry in India. With a principle-based approach, the DPDPA emphasises user control, accountability, and transparency in addressing critical issues in the data-driven FinTech sector. Combining doctrinal analysis and an exploratory methodology, this study meticulously investigates the Act's insight into obligations, focusing on the intricate distinctions between data processors and data fiduciaries. The objective of this doctrinal and exploratory analysis is to thoroughly comprehend the legal structure established by the Act, thereby clarifying the consequences for participants in the FinTech ecosystem. This study explores the DPDPA's impact on managing and safeguarding financial data within the dynamic FinTech sector. It accomplishes this through an evaluation of legal instruments and literature reviews. The paper concludes by suggesting changes to be taken by the financial regulator as a way to address concerns related to data security. Additionally, it initiates a discourse on the regulation of FinTech in India. It emphasises the significance of the collaboration between the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Information Technology on data protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative perspective to the article on consumer vulnerability recently published in this journal by Russell-Bennett et al. (2024). Design/methodology/approach: The approach is collegial but firm in its analysis of their discussion about how vulnerable consumers feel and react, as offered without appropriate review and details from previous research. Findings: The perspective given by the authors is found to lack sufficient substance and foundation in the consumer vulnerability literature across several leading journals in the field. Alternative interpretations are presented and articulated. Originality/value: All ideas expressed as a counter to their arguments come from decades of experiences working with vulnerable peoples across multiple contexts and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Games for mobiles present strategies to monetize not only from selling a title but from financial exchanges that take place in the game. Those microtransactions motivate players to purchase random or surprise items (known as loot boxes) to customize game features or to overcome narrative obstacles necessary to progress to new levels. Researchers associate the practice with gambling if completing the transaction does not mean the acquisition of an item but the chance to receive it. This research quantified gambling-like features in games available for free, classified by Apple's marketplace as suitable for children from 4 to 8 years old, and from the top-downloaded list. The findings reveal normalization traces of chance-based mechanisms in most of the games. According to the research literature, early exposure to such features may result in problem gambling in adult life. This paper concluded that legal changes and more information provided by the marketplaces are needed to raise awareness of gambling-like practices in mobile games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid proliferation of digitisation processes has exponentially increased the number of international online transactions, including business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), platform-to-business (P2B) and platform-to-consumer (P2C) relationships. The unlimited economic potential of the Internet for commerce, enables the aggregation and globalisation of markets by offering new opportunities, while also requiring new forms of regulation of the digitised landscape. In such scenarios, in recent years it is fundamental to define a regulatory framework and to ensure a greater protection to vulnerable digital consumers. On this point, the digital revolution, which has overwhelmed the European market, trying also to protect the ‘weak’ party of digital contracts: the consumer-user. The use of digital platforms in contracting, governed at European level by the P2B Regulation, requires the rethinking of the traditional civil law profiles and the promotion of fair and transparent contractual practices. Moreover, the digital transformation is also reshaping standard contract terms, their application and functionality. Indeed, with the emergence of online platforms, supported by algorithmic data analysis and self-enforcing technologies, platform terms and conditions are becoming increasingly common. The digitisation of standard terms poses challenges to the existing regulatory model of Unfair Contracts Terms Directive – recently amended by the ‘Omnibus’ Directive – in several aspects: it needs updating to address the challenges posed by digital services. In light of an analysis of the rapid evolution of the digital landscape, the work, starting from the vulnerable digital consumer, intended to examine the impact of the platform economy on the latter, the (in)adequacy of the UCTD in the digital world and, finally, how the ‘Omnibus’ Directive addresses unfair digital contract terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer protection is an integral part of the current phase of the European integration project. However, eclipsed by market-building, the image of European consumers is homogeneously defined by individual economic interests against a uniform metric. This article proposes the alternative image of an "embedded consumer" to align with the imaginary of the constitutional person under primary EU law, especially the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Under the Charter, a constitutional person is fundamentally shaped and significantly enabled by their communities and thus bears "duties and responsibilities" towards the community. This obligation does not always amount to individual legal responsibility as individuals are inevitably vulnerable (when social structures lack fairness) and rely on social institutions to build up their resilience. Accordingly, the embedded consumer is also socially responsible and humanly vulnerable. This entails that a responsible consumer policy should move beyond individual responsibilisation and involve public obligations and corporate responsibilities to create a conducive framework for sustainable and responsible consumption. A responsible framework is a balanced one, on the one hand, which consciously navigates the conflicts between the various rights of the consumer as a person and between the consumer's rights and the community's interests. On the other hand, it also takes consumer vulnerability as the starting point for consumer policy. Such an "embedded consumer" is not merely futuristic but represents a transformation underway in the EU. EU consumer law and policy should be informed by the embedded consumer and the collective vision it reflects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article was to assess the opinions of consumer credit borrowers on the information message provided to them by lenders at the pre-contractual stage. The opinions were presented in the context of the demographic characteristics of the respondents. The research question posed was whether, taking into account demographic characteristics, the assessment of consumer credit borrowers regarding the information message obtained at the pre-contractual stage varied. The research methodology included a questionnaire and Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). For the information analysis, we employed the following non-parametric tests: the chi-square test of independence, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. No significant differences were observed in all the parameters of the assessment of the information message, which means that the answer to the research question was negative. The findings suggest that even though borrowers may positively assess the compliance with the information obligations by lenders, it does not mean that all credit decisions made were rational and appropriate to their financial situation. Our study focused on the consumer protection and employed non-parametric tests to analyze the consumer credit borrowers' assessment of the information provided to them by lenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this research develops and tests a conceptual model of the positive influence of brand resources and brand love during consumers' stressful life transitions. Our online survey of consumers going through a life transition finds that when brands provide social and financial resources, the resulting brand love leads to increased brand equity and life satisfaction. These positive effects of brand resources are stronger for negative transitions than positive transitions and are attenuated without brand love. Further qualitative investigation of user-generated content of consumers going through a life transition to college finds evidence of the resource-brand love relationship. Implications for brand managers and consumer well-being are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advances the methodological perspective toward studying children, articulating parent-as-researcher (PAR) and children as co-researchers to generate high levels of novel discovery, especially in sensitive subjects related to this vulnerable group. It also underscores the rich possibilities of this inquiry form in studying children, which goes beyond authenticity to reveal children's multi-layered voices. Furthermore, the insiders' approach to the PAR's inquiry and the perspective of children as co-researchers enlighten new ways to engage young consumers in research, allowing broad and deep discussion of subjects' matters in their own voices. Finally, a guideline for researchers interested in following it is provided. As the text explains, professional researchers can apply the approaches with some adjustments, and non-parent researchers can engage parent co-researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding vulnerable consumers when conducting Transformative Service Research (TSR) is essential but these consumers and their contexts are often complex and difficult to research. Despite a movement towards TSR methodologies suitable for studying vulnerable participants and their contexts, a comprehensive framework that can guide service researchers is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate appropriate methods, procedures, and protocols that permit researching a wide range of vulnerable groups and exposures to vulnerable situations in TSR. This is undertaken via a review of the literature and the authors' reflections of their experiences with researching vulnerability in various configurations (e.g., disasters, refugees, healthcare, disability, and older people). Through an iterative process of personal case reflections and group discussions blended with extant literature, patterns and insights regarding appropriate research protocols, techniques, processes, and sampling are identified. These insights contribute to the development of a comprehensive TSR framework in five research method areas including 1) consideration of the context, researcher, support persons and participants, 2) recruitment considerations relating to sampling, 3) recruitment considerations in terms of ethics and set-up, 4) data collection considerations relating to research protocol and set-up, and 5) data collection considerations. The framework can guide both academics and practitioners to enhance research outcomes for both participants and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin color affects women's self-image, a fact that has long been a consequence of racial discrimination and dominance as well as the prevalence of light-skinned models in modern advertisements and other forms of communication. Although not all women aspire to greater whiteness of complexion, this standard has influenced many countries that were once dominated by white invaders. As multiculturalism infuses developed and developing nations, however, these standards may be shifting away from generic and hegemonic visions toward more realistic and varied standards, requiring international marketers to be proactive rather than reactive in their customer engagement practices under the ethical frame of "perfectionism." To examine this perspective, the authors completed a cross-national qualitative study (in-depth interviews) in India, Egypt, and Ghana, where lightness of skin tone has been a culturally imposed prerequisite for women to be considered (and consider themselves) beautiful. Using customer engagement literature and the ethical perfectionism framework, this study investigates women in these countries who embrace or reject this standard, further contextualizing customer engagement research across international markets. Implications are offered as a way to advance multinational corporations' development of customer engagement along a mutually beneficial path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The issue of consumer protection during electricity market reforming becomes of special urgency and requires the appropriate instrumentarium that would meet the aquis communautaire criteria as for providing information, contractual obligations and quality of services in the electricity market of Ukraine. Purpose. of the article is to expand approaches to the definition of the category of vulnerable consumer; as a factor of effective reform of the countries energy sector in accordance with the standards and norms of European legislation. Methods. During the research the following methods were used: economic and statistical (for analysis of the current state of Ukrainian households' income and expenditures); statistical (for a complex diagnosis of the current welfare population in Ukraine and the welfare of population in European countries; the cost and volume of electricity, affecting the socio-economic development of the country). Results. The work analyzes the households' indicators on the level of material welfare as a factor reflecting the state of socio-economic development of the country and the provision of the population with tangible and intangible benefits. The world experience of existing mechanisms of consumer rights protection in the liberalized electricity market has been analysed. Discussion. It is proved that the minimum consumption tariffs make the price structure non-transparent and have the direct interrelationship with the effect of cross-subsidiziation, which can lead to incorrect price signals for consumers and investors from energy suppliers. Considering this an important point in the rules of social protection is the absence of administrative interference in the natural mechanisms of the energy market. It is emphasized that it is the consumer's awareness of his rights, duties and the market data which lays the foundation for successful reformation and functioning of the electricity market and is the basis for ensuring energy efficiency and the economical use of energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively designed complaint handling systems play a key role in enabling vulnerable consumers to complain and obtain redress. This article examines current research into consumer vulnerability, highlighting its multidimensional and expansive nature. Contemporary understandings of consumer vulnerability recognize that the interaction between a wide range of market and consumer characteristics can combine to place any individual at risk of vulnerability. While this broad definition of consumer vulnerability reflects the complex reality of consumers' experiences, it poses a key challenge for designers of complaint handling systems: how can they identify and respond to an issue which can potentially affect everyone? Drawing on current research and practice in the United Kingdom and Australia, the article analyses the impact of consumer vulnerability on third party dispute resolution schemes and considers the role these complaint handling organizations can play in supporting their complainants. Third party complaint handling organizations, including a range of Alternative Dispute Resolution services such as ombudsman organizations, can play a key role in increasing access to justice for vulnerable consumer groups and provide specific assistance for individual complainants during the process. It is an opportune time to review whether the needs of consumers at risk of vulnerability are being met within complaint processes and the extent to which third party complaint handlers support those who are most vulnerable to seek redress. Empowering vulnerable consumers to complain presents specific challenges. The article discusses the application of a new model of consumer dispute system design to show how complaint handling organizations can meet the needs of the most vulnerable consumers throughout the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anali Pravnog Fakulteta u Beogradu is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose This paper aims to develop an understanding of key variables for designing and marketing healthcare services for immigrant consumers – widely considered a vulnerable consumer group.Design/methodology/approach Data collected from 277 participants was analyzed using ANOVA models and mean score comparisons.Findings Differences based on immigrant status and acculturation level are identified. Differences between immigrant acculturation levels based on service quality dimensions are also revealed.Research implications This research indicates that acculturation-based studies are insightful and finds that immigrants’ service responses do not mirror those of native respondents in healthcare services.Practical and social implications This research highlights key nuances within immigrant populations that hold significant implications for service providers. Culturally appropriate service design and marketing can enhance service utilization by the target population.Originality/value This study focuses on the healthcare service experiences of immigrant populations and application of this information to service design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article outlines the five S's of consumer health in health and medical decision-making. The five S's detailed in the article are Self, Social, Solution, Service provider, Societal/Situational and how the combination of them can be used when consumer are making decisions that impact their health. A deeper look into each of these drivers and how they influence health and medical decision-making is presented. This framework serves to aid consumer health research and the article also presents recommendations on how to undertake future research into consumer health.

Ethical considerations are increasingly important because new online techniques of research such as online ethnography often have novel ethical challenges. Our research aims to help online ethnographers by providing a moral/philosophical framework to be used in making ethical decisions and guiding them to reflect on how these decisions affect and justify their methodological choices. We draw upon prior research on ethics and online ethnography, and utilize five key dimensions of moral and philosophical principles (autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice and trust, explicability) for our framework. Our research highlights essential ethical questions such as selecting a philosophical basis as your ethical frame and coming to terms with ambiguity, and related methodological guidelines such as avoiding personal prejudice, assumptions and bias, research site entry strategy, researcher's communication with the participants, protection of data, research site exit strategy and communicating online research findings. This paper contributes to the existing literature by identifying how moral and philosophical guidelines impact our ethical and methodological choices when engaging in online ethnography and what this means in terms of research practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the government-led health service in the UK, this paper explores the experiences of family caregivers, responsible for co-ordinating the healthcare of older adults experiencing vulnerability during the pandemic. Data were collected through a 6-month covert netnography, culminating in 322 relevant forum topics and 2607 posts. The findings reveal that both ageing consumers and their carers experience service captivity, which leads to vulnerability. Furthermore, older adults experience vulnerability most when service cessation occurs, involving premature discharge from hospital, eviction from care homes and in-home caregivers withdrawing services, leaving the consumer without an essential health service. Recommendations are made to health service organisations to aid in preventing service captivity and cessation in government-led health services, especially during times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy poverty (EP) is a crucial socio-economic problem in current society, as it deprives people of a basic standard of living and quality of life. In general, EP is linked to various factors, but it is primarily associated with high energy costs, low household income, and inefficient building structures. Due to the recent energy crisis in Europe, the importance of these factors has escalated. Bearing in mind the above remarks, the REVERTER EU-funded LIFE project will develop and test nine roadmaps in four European countries (Brezovo—Bulgaria; Athens Urban area—Greece; Riga—Latvia; and Coimbra—Portugal) to alleviate EP by addressing the poor energy efficiency of dwellings. To directly observe real-life scenarios in designated pilot regions, questionnaire surveys were conducted, involving approximately 300 households in each pilot area. This paper presents and evaluates the outcomes of the survey conducted in the central region of Portugal. The findings allow for a deeper comprehension of the factors that impact energy poverty in Portugal, spanning socio-economic aspects, housing characteristics, mechanical systems, energy expenses, and behaviors, as well as the awareness of available support initiatives. Drawing from the survey's insights, novel strategies are suggested to alleviate energy poverty, with a primary emphasis on crafting tailored, efficient policies that address the genuine requirements of households and individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the landscape of consumer behavior by enabling personalized marketing and advanced data analytics. This article reviews existing literature to explore the role of AI in shaping purchase decisions. The emergence of AI technologies allows marketers to leverage vast amounts of consumer data to create personalized experiences, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. Through personalized marketing strategies, companies can deliver tailored content, product recommendations, and targeted advertisements that align with individual consumer preferences. The integration of data analytics provides deeper insights into consumer behavior, enabling businesses to anticipate trends and make informed decisions. This literature review examines various case studies and empirical research to highlight the effectiveness of AI-driven marketing strategies in influencing consumer purchase decisions. The findings indicate that personalized marketing, underpinned by sophisticated data analytics, not only enhances consumer trust and loyalty but also drives higher conversion rates. This study underscores the importance of embracing AI technologies for businesses aiming to stay competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a complex network comprising interconnected devices that transmit their data via the Internet. Due to their open environment, limited computation power, and absence of built-in security, IoT environments are susceptible to various cyberattacks. Denial of service (DDoS) attacks are among the most destructive types of threats. The Multi-vector DDoS attack is a contemporary and formidable form of DDoS wherein the attacker employs a collection of compromised IoT devices as zombies to initiate numerous DDoS attacks against a target server. A Blockchain-based Operational Threat Intelligence framework, OTI-IoT, is proposed in this article to counter multi-vector DDoS attacks in IoT networks. A "Prevent-then-Detect" methodology was utilized to deploy the OTI-IoT framework in two distinct stages. During Phase 1, the consortium Blockchain network validators employ the IPS module, composed of a smart contract for attack prevention and access control, and Proof of Voting consensus, to thwart attacks. Validators are outfitted with deep learning-based IDS instances to detect multi-vector DDoS attacks during Phase 2. Alert messages are generated by the IDS module's alert generation and propagation smart contract in response to identifying malicious IoT sources. The feedback loop from the IDS module to the IPS module prevents incoming traffic from malicious sources. The proposed OTI framework capabilities are realized as an outcome of combining and storing the outcomes of the IDS and IPS modules on the consortium Blockchain. Each validator maintains a shared ledger containing information regarding threat sources to ensure robust security, transparency, and integrity. The operational execution of OTI-IoT occurs on an individual Ethereum Blockchain. The empirical findings indicate that our proposed framework is most suitable for real-time applications due to its ability to lower attack detection time, decreased block validation time, and higher attack prevention rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's climate cannot be ignored any longer. Policies are vital in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The energy crisis created by the Russo-Ukrainian war in Europe and COVID-19 pandemic affected the EU and its member states. The focus is more than ever on its energy policies and independence. The EU revised the energy strategy in response to the regional conflict, and it sped up all the processes for energetic independence from other countries outside of the EU. This benefited the climate change policies the most, as all the measures involved reducing energy consumption and increasing renewables, thus contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a member state of the EU, Romania is committed to complying with EU regulations. With a high degree of energy independence compared with the other EU members, Romania plans to become a regional energy provider and modernize the energy infrastructure internally as a response to the regional conflict. The measures that the EU and Romania implemented after the conflict started in 2022 have come to fruition, and the effects are becoming visible a year later. This study aims to study the energy strategy of Romania in correlation with the EU strategy in the turbulent period of pandemics and conflict between 2019 and 2023, with the latest available data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, is a relevant pathogen in dry fermented sausages (DFSs), and the application of antilisterial starter cultures is an effective intervention strategy to control the pathogen during DFS production. The effect of factors in relation to DFS formulation and production, NaCl (0–40 g/L), Mn (0.08–0.32 g/L), glucose (0–40 g/L) and temperature (3–37 °C), on the behaviour of L. monocytogenes when cocultured with Latilactobacillus sakei 23K (non-bacteriocinogenic) and CTC494 (bacteriocinogenic) strains was studied through a central composite design in meat simulation media. L. sakei and L. monocytogenes counts, pH, lactic acid production and bacteriocin activity were determined in mono and coculture. The pH decrease and lactic acid production were highly influenced by glucose, while production of sakacin K by L. sakei CTC494 was observed at moderate (10 and 20 °C), but not at the lowest (3 °C) and highest (37 °C), temperatures. Coculture growth had no effect on the acidification and bacteriocin production but inhibited and inactivated L. monocytogenes when L. sakei 23K entered the early stationary phase and when L. sakei CTC494 produced sakacin K. Optimal conditions for achieving a 5-log units reduction of L. monocytogenes were at 20 °C, 20 g/L of NaCl, 0.20 g/L of Mn and 40 g/L of glucose, those highlighting the importance of considering product formulation and fermentation conditions for bioprotective starter cultures application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the European Union's efforts to regulate consumer food information with the aim of improving consumer nutrition as part of its broader consumer protection agenda. With nearly a million deaths attributed to unhealthy diets annually, the EU's New Consumer Agenda, its Farm to Fork Strategy, and Europe's Beating Cancer Plan all highlight the objective of empowering consumers to make informed, healthy food choices. This underscores the EU's longstanding emphasis on regulating information to protect consumers, an approach which is even stronger with nutrition more specifically. This article shows that the EU food information law is based on two beliefs. First, consumers are given food information that is sufficient, accurate, non-misleading, clear and easy to understand and they are, therefore, well-informed. Second, well-informed consumers are empowered. This article argues that both of these beliefs are misguided. The current food information rules do not truly inform consumers well and do not, on their own, empower consumers to make healthy dietary decisions. Consequently, this article expresses scepticism about the ability of the current rules to promote improved nutrition. In light of the critiques of the current rules, this article offers suggestions for an improved food information paradigm. In addition to rules that would more effectively inform consumers, such a paradigm would acknowledge the limitations of information to empower healthier food choices and, therefore, give greater weight to more substantive interventions. This would align food law with broader trends in consumer protection law and thereby genuinely promote healthier nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While consumer empowerment has been a buzzword in scholarly and managerial circles, the marketing domain lacks a synthesis of consumers' actions toward realizing, actuating, and enhancing their power. Adopting the gain of power perspective propounded by Bachouche and Sabri (AMS Review 9[3]:304-323, 2019) as a starting point, this study develops a taxonomy of consumer actions that, intentionally or otherwise, lead to their empowerment at the individual and collective levels. In this respect, it incorporates behaviors that represent consumer agency targeted at various actors, e.g., other consumers, firms, markets, policymakers, and the broader social order, rather than the tools or strategies these latter actors deploy to empower consumers. Toward this end, the author systematically identifies and reviews 238 research articles published in diverse disciplines. The referent consumer actions are extracted and structured into four conceptual frames based on relationship, information, participation, and aggregation (Denegri-Knott, J Cust Behav 5(1):82–94, 2006). This study adds to theory by providing a first effort at integrating and classifying the body of knowledge relevant to consumer proactive empowerment, i.e., their pursuit of power in the marketplace. Managers and policymakers stand to gain from the current work by understanding the nature of such acts as well as their volitional and structural determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the role of frontline employees (FLEs) as mediators in transformative service processes within services targeting vulnerable users. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a case study of the development and implementation of a dementia village, and the data consist of documents, in-depth interviews and field observations. Findings: The analysis identifies FLEs as mediators in six different roles. These roles highlight how FLEs perform as mediators, acting in between and for vulnerable users and thus supporting their well-being. Specifically, the roles explicate the mediating role of FLEs in the design and planning of transformative changes and in daily work practices. Practical implications: The different mediating roles of FLEs presented here should inform care providers and managers of how employees can become assets for supporting vulnerable users' well-being during the design and planning stages of transformative change and through daily service work. Originality/value: This paper offers novel insights into the multifaceted roles of FLEs in transformative services. The findings add to the current debate on mediation in transformative services and contribute to the literature by extending and refining the established conceptual and empirical understandings of the role of transformative service mediators in consumers' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this editorial is to call out the practice of using identity-first language and labelling consumers and customers, describing them as "vulnerable" and offers practical strategies for person-first language of consumers/customers experiencing vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Australian Indigenous and Indigenous women's standpoint theory to reflect on their own use of terminology in the field of consumer/customer vulnerability and use their personal experiences to offer a series of practical strategies. Findings: The authors propose six motivations for the use of person-first language in the field of consumer/customer vulnerability: easy to use, an English language convention, common practice, easy to measure, unintentional ignorance and an "us vs them" mindset. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to call out the practice of using identity-first language in the consumer/customer vulnerability field and offer practical strategies to enable person-first language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past studies have examined the role of financial education on financial literacy, often with mixed results. While some studies have shown a positive effect, others have indicated null or even negative effects. Given that much public faith is given to financial education as a means for improving consumers' financial wellbeing, a deeper understanding of the relationship between financial education and financial literacy is needed. A factor that may moderate this important relationship is cognitive style, which reflects the information processing strategies of consumers. At the two extremes of the cognitive style spectrum are analytical and intuitive consumers, and in the intermediate ranges are adaptive consumers who combine analysis and intuition to different degrees. Using a national panel of American consumers, the moderating role that cognitive style plays in this relationship is empirically examined. The findings indicate that while consumers with analytical and intuitive cognitive styles develop higher financial literacy levels as a result of financial education, the financial literacy levels for consumers with adaptive cognitive styles diminishes with financial education. The potential role of self-assessed investment knowledge in this relationship is examined and implications on curriculum design for financial education programs as well as related research needs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the most relevant cases decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning contract law. The present issue covers the period between the beginning of January 2024 and the end of March 2024. Out of a total of 123 judgments decided in this period, 37 had a contract law dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing tactics used in the clinic websites of cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) providers and analyse what ethical implications exist when targeting the vulnerable consumer group of infertility sufferers.Design/methodology/approach The sampling design was to collect clinic websites from regions known to be popular destinations for CBRC, and who were marketing directly to US-based consumers through their online websites. There were three stages of data collection: organic Google search that displayed Google AdWords of clinics who advertised; organic Google search results; and searching via the WhatClinic.com database for additional private clinics with websites. The websites were then audited for their marketing tactics according to the best practice guidelines from the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, ethics committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).Findings Through this analysis, it was confirmed that these clinics are attempting to establish their credibility and attract foreign consumers through their promised rates of success, years of experience and use of testimonials. In total, 32 of the 35 sites contained at least one factor considered misleading by ASRM guidelines, such as the publishing of inaccurate or non-transparent success rates, the use of sales promotions and guarantees often used in consumer products, or the use of misleading language. Out of the 24 sites that posted success rates, 17 of those rates would be considered deceptive by not clarifying the source of the numbers or by being so far from the global averages of 30 per cent.Research limitations/implications Marketing practitioners have a specific responsibility to recognise vulnerable market segments; therefore this initial study seeks to add to the understanding of consumer vulnerability through an intersectional view of global reproductive service consumption.Practical implications A global standard of marketing guidelines specific to CBRC clinics needs to be implemented across all regional/countries in order to communicate ethically, improve credibility, reputation and trust among consumer and international bodies. Counselling services need to be integrated within all assisted reproductive technology services. Service-country to home-country continued care protocols should be created for patients travelling home in order to collect data on CRBC experiences.Originality/value This study contributes to the CBRC literature in providing new insights into current clinic marketing trends and highlights ethical implications to industry stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin with high estrogenic activity in vitro and in vivo, is a widespread food contaminant that is commonly detected in maize, wheat, barley, sorghum, rye and other grains. Human exposure estimates based on analytical data on ZEN occurrence in various food categories and food consumption data suggest that human exposure to ZEN and modified forms of ZEN may be close to or even exceed the tolerable daily intake (TDI) derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for some consumer groups. Considering the inherent uncertainties in estimating dietary intake of ZEN that may lead to an under- or overestimation of ZEN exposure and consequently human risk and current lack of data on vulnerable consumer groups, there is a clear need for more comprehensive and reliable exposure data to refine ZEN risk assessment. Human biomonitoring (HBM) is increasingly being recognized as an efficient and cost-effective way of assessing human exposure to food contaminants, including mycotoxins. Based on animal and (limited) human data on the toxicokinetics of ZEN, it appears that excretion of ZEN and its major metabolites may present suitable biomarkers of ZEN exposure. In view of the limitations of available dietary exposure data on ZEN and its modified forms, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of recent studies utilizing HBM to monitor and assess human exposure to ZEN. Considerations are given to animal and human toxicokinetic data relevant to HBM, analytical methods, and available HBM data on urinary biomarkers of ZEN exposure in different cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We outline our suggested research agenda according to the following themes: CSM's relationship with other "marketing and society" sub-disciplines Power and politics in social marketing The changing nature of vulnerability Context-specific intersectionalities Bio-socio-material understandings of social problems and social change Teaching CSM Within each of these themes, we offer some context to the opportunities for developing CSM, followed by research propositions and research questions that can help guide future research in these areas. CSM could also be integrated across other elements of the marketing curriculum, through the inclusion of social marketing cases, examples, and methods, for example in units such as international marketing, services marketing, and consumer behaviour. In this editorial, critical review, and research agenda for this special section of the I Journal of Marketing Management i on "Critical Social Marketing: Towards Emancipation", we argue that the need for critically informed approaches to pro-social behaviour and social change is ever more important. These units could be placed alongside other pertinent marketing and society subjects such as Marketing Ethics, Social Responsibility, Critical Marketing, Sustainable Marketing, Race and Marketing, and Marketing and Gender, that would form important pillars in redesigned marketing degree programmes. Charting the CSM landscape Gordon ([63]) explains that CSM involves critically analysing social marketing theories, concepts, discourses, and practice I and/or i examining the deleterious impact of commercial marketing activities on social marketing problems - to generate critique, conflict and change that facilitates emancipatory social good. [Extracted from the article]

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Despite the increasing market size and consumption power of older consumers, older people seldom appear in advertising, and research activity in this area suggests that advertising scholars have lost interest in the topic. This article proposes some explanations for this neglect of the topic despite its increasing importance and provides a review of knowledge about the representation, portrayal, and effects of older people in advertising. Based on this review, the article identifies several gaps in the literature and proposes an integrative model and agenda for future research. The agenda addresses the definition and operationalization of age and older people and discusses how their representation and portrayal must be evaluated against appropriate baseline figures; how stereotyping can be assessed and measured; how positive perceptions and evaluations of portrayals of older people, despite weak representation and stereotyping, can be explained; and how social and commercial effects can be investigated. The agenda discusses the potential responsibilities of advertisers and the implications of this research for practitioners and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore how gay men manage their identities both within and outside the gay community by drawing on post-gay discourses, which surmise stigma against the gay community as a thing of the past. Implementing qualitative methods, the findings show that a post-gay subjectivity is produced via a series of camouflage strategies, which enable consumers to assimilate into mainstream society, whilst acquiring cultural membership and recognition. This research illustrates how these strategies function as cultural repertoires that improve consumers' well-being while paradoxically reproducing heteronormative power relations that exacerbate stigma and diversification both within and outside the gay community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the field of consumer contracts. It points out the exceptional emergency regulations which have sought to attend, not to the consumer, but the most vulnerable people and companies, also in the contractual aspect. It then shows the dependency of national Consumer Law on that created in the European Union, highlighting that the latter is not sufficiently agile and flexible to respond to a catastrophe of the magnitude of the pandemic. Finally, it shows how the experience of the last few months and the challenges that lie ahead in the immediate future make it possible to foresee a new Consumer Law in which, in the author's opinion, multiple differentiations will need to be done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the principle of safety is an informing guideline in the Consumer Protection Law, this text reviews its concretization in the rights, duties and good practices that take place with regard to consumer care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that objective, it begins with an approach to the pandemic and its main characteristics. Subsequently, the safety principle is explained in relation to three aspects: The consumer's personal and patrimonial integrity, and its main characteristics; its scope in the Chilean consumer protection system; and the notion of vulnerable consumer as an adequacy criterion. This topic is then explained in a general way and with regard to remote and face-to-face market. In that sense, this study postulates that, in all these dimensions, the behavior of suppliers and consumers must be adjusted to the safety imperatives that prevent risk for the consumer and the rest of the country. That is derived from the character of public order that has the protection of the personal and patrimonial integrity of the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy poverty is the inability of a household to maintain basic energy services in the household, such as heating and cooling, due to unaffordability. This issue has been gaining public awareness since the financial crisis of 2008. Based on European-wide indicators, Cyprus demonstrates a high percentage of households with poor energy affordability. However, an in-depth investigation on energy poverty manifestations and measures has not been carried out. This paper aims to address this gap in knowledge, by outlining current measures associated with vulnerable consumers in Cyprus. Recommendations are made for the adoption of additional and/or complimentary action to effectively address energy poverty in Cyprus. Furthermore, a web-based survey collected demographic and economic information of dwellers, as well as technical characteristics of dwellings and perception of thermal comfort. Preliminary results indicate that approximately 40% of respondents reported spending up to a quarter of their net income towards energy bills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Going on holiday is often associated with taking the car or plane. Even for short distances, and where alternative, sustainable transportation modes would be available, we frequently choose the more unsustainable options. Affordability, comfortability, and time savings led to an increase in transportation, which in turn, negatively contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction in those emissions can be achieved by choosing public transportation. However, since transportation choices are often made unconsciously and habitually, it is crucial to transform those unsustainable habits into more sustainable ones. Contextual changes can serve as a catalyst. This research investigates whether pre-COVID-19 and pre-inflation unsustainable travel habits can be broken through the perceived impact of COVID-19, financial hardship, and green consumption values, increasing the intention for sustainable transportation modes using a survey design. We found that the context change, as such, does not predict future intentions to travel sustainably, but existing green consumption values do. Building on the self-activation theory, the results show that habits and the perceived impact of COVID-19 and financial hardship activate a person's green consumption values. Consumers' green values mediate the relationship between unsustainable habits and the intentions to use sustainable transportation modes, combining the habit discontinuity and self-activation hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]