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Can the expansion of a prosperous middle class help China to rebalance to consumption-led growth? We address this question through analysis of macro- and micro-level data. Using macro statistics, we examine trends in national aggregate consumption and GDP growth from 2000 through 2019. We observe growth in aggregate consumption but do not find convincing evidence of consumption-led growth. Using micro-level household survey data from 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2018, we estimate the size of China's prosperous middle class and its contribution to aggregate consumption growth. We find that the prosperous middle class expanded rapidly but contributed less to aggregate consumption growth than expected. We discuss features of this class that diminished its contribution to consumption-led growth, including its low propensity to consume out of income and its limited expansion beyond urban subgroups. We conclude that the expansion of the prosperous middle class is necessary but not sufficient to bring about rebalancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented article deals with the issue of inventory management optimization through modelling and simulation in the software Tecnomatix Plant Simulation. Based on an in-depth analysis of the supply chain with an emphasis on inventory management, a simulation model was developed. It was optimized using the inventory theory methodology in combination with a discrete-event simulation approach. Dynamic simulation made it possible to perform experiments and optimize the existing state. The solution to the problem is elaborated on a case study to achieve the efficiency of the supply process of a specific operation of a clothing retail chain, which is struggling with the problems of excessive and inaccurate supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is adaptive to restrict eating under uncertainty, such as during habituation to novel foods and unfamiliar environments. However, sustained restrictive eating can become maladaptive. Currently, the neural substrates of restrictive eating are poorly understood. Using a model of feeding avoidance under novelty, our recent study identified forebrain activation patterns and found evidence that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is a core integrating node. The current study analyzed the activity of CEA inputs in male and female rats to determine if specific pathways are recruited during feeding under novelty. Recruitment of direct inputs from the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), the infralimbic cortex (ILA), the agranular insular cortex (AI), the hippocampal ventral field CA1, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminals (BST) was assessed with combined retrograde tract tracing and Fos induction analysis. The study found that during consumption of a novel food in a novel environment, larger number of neurons within the PVTp and the CA1 that send monosynaptic inputs to the CEA were recruited compared to controls that consumed familiar food in a familiar environment. The ILA, AI, and BST inputs to the CEA were similarly recruited across conditions. There were no sex differences in activation of any of the pathways analyzed. These results suggest that the PVTp-CEA and CA1-CEA pathways underlie feeding inhibition during novelty and could be potential sites of malfunction in excessive food avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the representation of Asian indentured migrants as 'consumers' in colonial British Guiana and Trinidad. Focusing on the specific case of opium, it explores how attitudes towards the drug fed into broader debates about socio-economic responsibilities of these labouring communities. After first establishing the considerable revenues which colonial authorities derived from the taxation of opium, the article illustrates the growing calls for migrants to 'pay back' to the colonies which had shouldered the cost of their introduction. It also explores how stereotypical representations of Chinese and Indian consumption informed debates about the economic viability of continuing to import various forms of migrant labour. The article argues that migrant consumption mattered, and that understanding why it mattered necessitates a broader understanding of how indentured migration shaped the economic and social histories of various British colonies following emancipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Unveiling insights into the Chinese low consumption puzzle by emphasizing the impact of monopolistic and strategic land supply on the final consumption rate. • Monopolistic land supply suppresses the final consumption rate by expanding government income share and widening urban-rural income gaps. • Strategic land supply suppresses the final consumption rate by driving up the share of capital income and housing prices. • Reducing land transaction monopolies and optimizing supply structures can yield substantial benefits for economic rebalancing. The challenge of low consumption presents a complex development issue in China, one that has been insufficiently analyzed through the lens of land supply. This paper introduces a fresh perspective to the Chinese low consumption puzzle by shedding light on the constraints imposed by monopolistic/strategic land supply on the final consumption rate. Our findings reveal that China's distinctive land supply patterns systematically restrict consumption, as monopolistic land supply hinders total consumption by widening the share of government sector income and the urban-rural income gap. Additionally, strategic land supply curtails consumption by increasing the share of capital income and driving up housing prices. This study underscores the significance of land supply-side reforms in bolstering consumption, offering valuable policy insights for China and other transitioning economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sectoral total factor productivity and multipliers are negatively correlated. • Overall effect of the IO structure is dampened relative to the multiplier effect. • Sectors with high productivity generate fewer jobs than other sectors do. • The economic activity that the high-incomers increase the consumption does not spread. • Promoting the industry alone is not enough and a spillover perspective is required. This study demonstrates how differences in the prefectural input–output (IO) multiplier and sectoral total factor productivity (TFP) translate into aggregate income differences across prefectures within a country. Furthermore, this study investigates the job creation generated from the IO multiplier and TFP relationship and considers expenditure in the high-income group. Our results show that aggregate multipliers substantially amplify average sectoral TFP by propagating through the IO network. However, as log TFP levels and multipliers are negatively correlated, sectors with high multipliers have below-average productivity levels, which reduces income per worker because key inputs to downstream sectors are expensive. The overall effect of the IO structure is dampened relative to the aggregate multiplier effect. For example, the commerce sector has large multipliers in many prefectures and is thus amplified through the IO network, but their TFPs are lower and do not significantly contribute to the increase in income. The TFPs of the information and communication equipment sector in certain prefectures are higher than those in Tokyo, but the benefits are not amplified well within the prefecture because their multipliers are low. Furthermore, sectors with high productivity generate fewer jobs than other sectors do. The sectors with a large influence on job creation in other sectors are not amplified well through the IO network because of the small multiplier. From the expenditure viewpoint, the high-income group increases their education consumption exponentially, but the multiplier is low and not widespread within the prefecture. The construction sector has a significant influence on job creation in other sectors. However, their economic activities do not spread widely within a prefecture, and the high-income group does not increase housing consumption in proportion to their income. Residents in prefectures with high multipliers tend to spend more money outside their residential prefectures, such as online shopping. Thus, expenditure outside residential prefectures reduces the effect of the multiplier that amplifies the average sectoral TFP and the difference in income across prefectures. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing an explicit understanding of these relationships. Our findings make people realize that promoting the industry alone is not enough to increase income and generate highly productive jobs. A spillover perspective is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Masstige, or luxury for the masses, is a phenomenon that requires a heterodox economic approach based on Original Institutional Economics view of corporate power combined with Marxian concept of brand fetishism and post-Keynesian theories of pricing and consumer choice. The attitude toward luxury in classical works on political economy is briefly outlined. By applying the post-Keynesian theory of oligopolistic pricing, we show how the power of luxury brands enables high profits of luxury conglomerates. We use the post-Keynesian theory of consumer choice to differentiate between various types of masstige buyers. JEL Classification: B52, D11, D21, D43 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argentina is among the 20 largest seafood producing countries in the world, with an annual fish capture of about 800,000 tons. However, national annual fish consumption is low, about 5 kg per capita, and the domestic seafood market is little known. The objective of this study was to contribute to the characterization of seafood in the Argentine market. Monthly landings, presence at points of sale and prices of seafood were analyzed. The seafood data were gathered from official statistics of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture, statistics from the Central Market of Buenos Aires and surveys conducted in fish shops in the city of Mar del Plata. Based on the monthly seasonal index (SI), price variations throughout the year were studied. Likewise, relative fish prices were determined by using as unit the price of Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi), which is the most consumed fish in the country. This study identified the marine species most present in the domestic market and their prices. The presence of the different fish species at the points of sale could not be directly associated with their landing seasons. There was also no direct link between fish prices and quantities landed. No significant seasonal fluctuations in prices were found on seafood products (SI = 90–110), with the exception of hake fillet (SI = 80–113). Many finfishes had a price peak during Easter week. Overall, price patterns suggest that seafood prices in Argentina are mainly determined by demand rather than supply. Further research on seafood traceability and fish consumption is needed to advance the understanding of the seafood market in Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing debate in the literature is around the existence and constitution of a so-called 'global elite'. This article enters that debate – seeking to understand what connected but also divided a group of wealthy young people occupying a transnational space. It examines consumptive practices at one of the most expensive secondary schools in the world, educating a cross-section of the globally wealthy in Switzerland. The article offers insights into the boredom that pervaded this group, shaping some of the consumptive practices that bound its members. It also argues that other consumptive practices reflected consciously articulated differences within this group, such as national- and linguistic-based social groupings. The case study offers a unique opportunity to examine consumption as a lens onto cohesion and distinction within a particular group of transnationally located, wealthy young people, thus contributing to scholarship around the nature of the 'global elite' at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner is one of the most important polyphagous predatory mirid bug that attack many agriculture insect pests. Methods: The present study was carried out to show the effect of different prey stages as Tuta absoluta (eggs and fourth larval stage), Bemisia tabaci (eggs and three nymph stages) and Aphids gossypii (1st nymph stage) on the life cycle and consumption rate of male and females of M. caliginosus as predator under laboratory condition. The experiments were started by collecting the first stage of M. caliginosus nymph and placed separately on acalypha plants situated on saturated cotton pads inside Petri dishes with an excess of each prey. Results: The results showed that the developmental period of the total immature stages of M. caliginosus female are affected by type and stage of tested prey. So, the duration of larval stages of female was significantly recorded the longest in case of feeding on eggs of T. absoluta compare to 1st nymph of A. gossypii. In addition to extension the adult longevity of female M. caliginosus, which fed on the 1st nymphal instar of B. tabaci more than the other pests. The consumption rate of total immature stages and adult M. caliginosus female were fed on eggs of B. tabaci was more than the other test pests. While the consumption rate of total immature stages and adult of male M. caliginosus were fed on eggs of B. tabaci was higher than that of the other pests. Conclusions: The search was given the highlight focus on ability of mirid bugs to consume different insect species "stages" that might be facilitate rear predatory bugs under laboratory condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the 1960s, breeding activities carried out on many crops, including wheat, and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, saw increased criticism of the negative consequences in terms of nutrition, social, and environmental impacts. There is a current re-emphasis upon changing the methods of flour and bread production technologies, and wheat landrace varieties have made a resurgence. Wheat landrace varieties have become widespread and create the demand for their consumption as an alternative to industrial wheat. Producers have come together to form collectives of different structures and seek ways to expand production of wheat landraces. As a result, alternative food consumption communities have become established in which consumers can access wheat landrace products. The factors related to the development of wheat, flour, bulgur, bread, etc. should be put forward to consumers and producers. The fieldwork of this research is based on five community supported food groups formed by consumers in the İzmir province of Turkey, and associations/groups that produce wheat varieties in Çanakkale, Balıkesir and Kars provinces. The aim of the research is to identify common problems that reduce the separation between wheat production and consumption and how to increase the use of wheat landraces and their products by using participatory action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I will discuss how neoliberalism affects subjects and what friendship looks like in the neoliberal world we live in. I will show that one of the most important consequences of neoliberal intervention on the subject is the severe damage to the bonds of friendship. In the neoliberal world, we live constantly in a competitive environment dominated by temporary relationships. Friendships seem to be valuable only to gain advantages and to be ahead of others. Those who have more influential ‘friends’ are more likely to get what they want. The concept of friendship, then, has to do with a meaning that involves calculating what one must contribute to obtain. In this article, I will try to explore how neoliberalism invests in the subject and how friendship is treated in the neoliberal world. I will ask how ‘true friendship’ can help us improve our lives by turning to the ways in which friendship shows up in the social relations in which we live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study investigates the significance of perfume as a medium for self-expression and identity reflection. The research employs a qualitative approach, gathering narratives from twenty Middle Eastern participants who willingly participated in response to the researcher’s request. The findings illuminate the multifaceted role of perfume in the projection of diverse identities. Individuals employ perfume as a means to reveal different aspects of their personalities contingent upon the social context in which they find themselves. Furthermore, perfumes are utilized to convey specific images and convey particular meanings to the public. Beyond surface-level effects, perfumes hold profound implications for individuals’ psychological well-being, enhancing mood and fostering positive emotions. This research highlights the significance of cultural identity in the realm of perfume usage, demonstrating how scents can be employed as tools for cultural expression and preservation, ultimately contributing to the complex process of self-expression. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for perfume companies and marketing managers, empowering them to enhance their online communication with consumers and refine marketing strategies specifically tailored to Middle Eastern markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a sceptical look at the treatment of connected practices of commodification and consumption in some exemplary works of mainstream critical social theory that seek to identify cross-contextual historical logics linking economic action to socio-political life. Drawing on situated research from South and southern Africa that helps to complicate our understanding of these links, it argues that many influential claims in the mainstream critical literature remain poorly substantiated and pass silently over vast provinces of complex, situated thought and action. When analysing how markets function, recurrent critical tropes of highly manipulable consumer desire suffer from a tendency to argue by simple fiat, while also abstracting out the historically shifting forms of moral and legal regulation mediating commodification and consumption on most real-world markets. This paper also makes a case for greater scepticism towards categorical associations between market action and the reproduction of socio-political dispositions of power. Consumer behaviour undeniably can shore up distinction and domination, but it has often also been observed to tamper with them by indirect means, while concentrated consumer initiatives in the form of boycotts remain an under-theorised and largely forgotten form of resistance within mainstream critical social theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyhan Sultan (1765–1824) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Mustafa III (r. 1757–1774) and his consort Adilşah Kadın. She was part of a group of high-born Ottoman women who led entirely separate lives with their own households during the last quarter of the eighteenth and the first quarter of the nineteenth century. However, very few studies have examined the lives and experiences of Ottoman princesses. In this article, I discuss issues such as consumption patterns, the freedom and privileges enjoyed by the princess and the composition and social networks of her household. I argue that Ottoman princesses, such as Beyhan Sultan, were able to extend their agency and visibility through the management of their households and consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing climate, rapid increases in global consumption, and shock events are increasing stress on water resources globally. For policy makers and water sector stakeholders tasked with reducing demand, and for academic researchers interested in understanding how these complex issues intertwine to create current and future water demand profiles, the shortcomings of individualized behavior change approaches driven by psycho‐econometric understandings of resource consumption is increasingly evident. Since the early 2000s, social practice theory has been increasingly recognized as deepening understandings of the complex ways water is consumed and the dynamic factors that influence household demands. This review examines evidence of how social practice ideas are deployed in academic research in scope (theory; geographical; practices entities/performances; sites, locations, and temporality of practices; infrastructural configurations); methods (historical; talk—interviews, focus groups; diaries; ethnography and home tours; surveys; living labs, experiments, design methods; mixed methods); and implications (co‐production; materiality; diversity; disruption and insecurity; inequalities) including for policy and practice. Emerging from the review is a set of ideas that demonstrate how to apply insights from social practice more effectively in water studies and in water management, aiding the exploration of new areas of enquiry, policies and mechanisms to enable less intensive patterns of water use. This review points to a need for increased collaboration across the water sector and wider stakeholders to enact deep and meaningful change to how water is supplied and consumed in society. This article is categorized under:Human Water > Water GovernanceHuman Water > MethodsHuman Water > Value of Water [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the role of edible mushrooms in the Brazilian diet, considering their strategic significance in meeting nutritional goals within sustainable development. Despite their potential in the nutrition of the Brazilian population, significant knowledge gaps still exist. To address this, the authors formulated this study into five main sections: the consumption of edible mushrooms in Brazil, the factors influencing the consumption, the occurrence of edible mushrooms in Brazil, the nutritional contribution of mushrooms consumed in Brazil and sustainable mushroom production in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach: The authors compiled current literature to develop this viewpoint paper using systematic review, systematic search and narrative review search methods. Findings: Mushrooms are sporadically consumed in Brazil, primarily by the urban population, with challenges in estimating the most used species. Social, economic and cultural factors, health considerations and reduced meat consumption influence mushroom consumption behavior. While Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes and Agaricus bisporus are primary species, ethnomycological studies highlight a more diverse consumption among traditional indigenous communities. Brazil hosts approximately 133 wild mushroom species safe for human consumption. Some can be sustainably cultivated using substrates derived from agricultural and urban waste, offering high-protein, high-fiber, low-fat foods with bioactive compounds holding antioxidant and prebiotic potential. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous study has investigated how edible mushrooms contribute to the food and nutrition of the Brazilian population. This study emphasizes the crucial role of edible mushrooms in preserving Brazil's cultural heritage, contributing to food and nutritional security and enhancing the overall diet quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While existing studies assert that citizens actively use digital media to exert their political agency, the various roles and impacts of digital media should be further unpacked. Building on the notions of 'digital democratic affordance' and 'cross-platform play', this article uniquely theorises political consumerism as a multi-scalar mode of human–non-human interactions. The concept of multi-scalar cross-platform affordances is formulated to demonstrate how different digital platforms – large or small, corporate or amateur, global or local – co-constitute an environment in which citizens are progressively channelled to engage in multiple platforms, reinvent them in concert with one another and participate in political consumption across time and space. In the case of the Yellow Economic Circle, against the backdrop of Hong Kong's 2019–2020 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement, we examine such cross-platform dynamics and their multi-scalar enactment of everyday political consumption practices across four stages: deliberation, crowdsourcing, materialisation and habituation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While literature suggests more aggressive cigarette tax reforms to reduce its affordability as well as the tobacco epidemic the tobacco industry argues that these measures, would affect the economy. The goal of this study is to analyze the size of the tobacco sector in Mexico through specific relevant variables on prices and brands and simulate different tobacco excise reforms. An increase in tobacco taxes would indeed decrease consumption and would increase revenues as well, when considering different and recent tobacco price elasticities. Elasticity was estimated for the year 2020 and changes on prices were computed by considering the most recent tobacco tax reforms in 2021 which updated the price according to rise on inflation and two additional reforms by using distinct cigarette brands. The results indicate that a specific tax of an additional peso and $1.50 pesos per cigarette would reduce consumption in the range from 21.7% to 27.7% and increase revenues from 13.4% to 22.7%. The novelty of this work is that the greatest reduction in consumption would be observed in lower-priced brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims Design, setting and participants Measurements Results Conclusion On 1 May 2018, Scotland introduced minimum unit pricing (MUP), a strength‐based floor price below which alcohol cannot be sold, throughout all alcoholic beverages. The legislation necessitates an evaluation of its impact across a range of outcomes that will inform whether MUP will continue beyond its sixth year. We measured the impact of MUP on per‐adult alcohol sales (as a proxy for consumption) after 3 years of implementation.Controlled interrupted time‐series regression was used to assess the impact of MUP on alcohol sales in Scotland after 3 years of implementation, with England and Wales (EW) being the control group. In adjusted analyses, we included household disposable income, on‐trade alcohol sales (in off‐trade analyses) and substitution between drink categories (in drink category analyses) as covariates.Weekly data were assessed on the volume of pure alcohol sold in Scotland and EW between January 2013 and May 2021, expressed as litres of pure alcohol per adult. The impact of MUP on total (on‐ and off‐trade combined), off‐trade and on‐trade alcohol sales was assessed separately.The introduction of MUP in Scotland was associated with a 3.0% (95% confidence interval = 1.8−4.2%) net reduction in total alcohol sales per adult after adjustment for the best available geographical control, disposable income and substitution. This reflects a 1.1% fall in Scotland in contrast to a 2.4% increase in EW. The reduction in total alcohol sales in Scotland was driven by reduced sales of beer, spirits, cider and perry. The reduction in total sales was due to reductions in sales of alcohol through the off‐trade. There was no evidence of any change in on‐trade alcohol sales.Minimum unit pricing has been effective in reducing population‐level alcohol sales in Scotland in the 3 years since implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study explores the inclusion of poetry in the realm of consumer research in tourism, consumption, and sustainability, with a study of the poem “The Dolphins” by Carol Ann Duffy. It reflects on the analysis of poetry in advancing our understanding of tourism consumption, and deliberates that poetry could provide insight into complex, emotional, painful, and cruel consumption facets. The study crafts a reference point for the use of poetry as a data source and a methodological tool in tourism and sustainability research and highlights how poetry could help in advancing our understanding of ethical consumption and its confluence with animal welfare in tourism and raising ethical awareness and sensitivity. The study also reflects on the themes of expanding our consciousness as part of being better humans and tourists, and raising the social consciousness of organizations to work towards animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study explores youth eco-literacy and its role in addressing the climate crisis, consumption, and socio-political challenges. Eco-literacy involves environmental understanding, skills, and critical perspectives, enabling active engagement and informed decision-making. Through geo-social lenses, I examine how Turkish youth participate politically, both online and offline, in climate change and consumerism dialogues, considering local, global, and planetary perspectives. The analysis focuses on young people’s interpretive agency, creatively expressing environmental ideologies and shaping values with a political stance characterized by reflexivity, agency, and commitment to daily activism and eco-friendly lifestyles. Qualitative data collection included discussions on daily environmental practices and essays on environmental citizenship, covering eco-literacy sources, responsible actors, and ecological awareness strategies. Findings illustrate how young participants address opportunities and disparities, utilizing the research environment for collective learning and action. The study further investigates young people’s showcase of their eco-literacies and advocacy for a public (eco) pedagogy beyond traditional education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of socially responsible consumer behavior has been of great interest to researchers for years. It seems important to acquire knowledge about consumer behavior, especially among young people, who are a special group of consumers. In recent years, it is not only the purchasing power of young people that has been growing, but also the range of market choices they make. In this context, it is important to identify the determinants of consumer behavior to predict the directions of changes in the behavior of young people as consumers. One of the interesting research areas is determining the role of prayer, or more broadly, human spiritual development, in shaping consumer behavior. Some research suggests that there is a relationship between religion, or more precisely, religious practices and consumption. This work presents the most important definitions of a socially responsible consumer, presenting the most important aspects of this attitude. This work also presents previous research on the relationship between religiosity, prayer and consumer behavior. This research on the SRC attitude among young people was conducted using an online survey. The collected data were tested using the χ2 test of independence. Owing to the obtained results, it was possible to indicate the aspects of SRC in which the attitude to prayer is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we investigate an optimal control problem related to the following chemotaxis-consumption model in a bounded domain Ω ⊂ R 3 : ∂ t u - Δ u = - ∇ · (u ∇ v) , ∂ t v - Δ v = - u s v + f v 1 Ω c , with s ≥ 1 , endowed with isolated boundary conditions and initial conditions for (u, v), being u the cell density, v the chemical concentration and f the control acting in the v-equation through the bilinear term f v 1 Ω c , in a subdomain Ω c ⊂ Ω . We address the existence of optimal control restricted to a weak solution setting, where, in particular, uniqueness of state (u, v) given a control f is not clear. Then by considering weak solutions satisfying an adequate energy inequality, we prove the existence of optimal control subject to uniformly bounded controls. Finally, we discuss the relation between the considered control problem and two other related ones, where the existence of optimal solution can not be proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does political conflict with another country influence domestic consumers' daily consumption choices? We exploit the volatile US-China relations in 2018 and 2019 to analyze whether US consumers reduce their visits to Chinese restaurants when bilateral relations deteriorate. We measure the degree of political conflict through negativity in media reports and rely on smartphone location data to measure daily visits to over 190,000 US restaurants. A deterioration in US-China relations induces a significant decline in visits not only to Chinese but also to other foreign ethnic restaurants, while visits to typical American restaurants increase. We identify consumers' age, race, and cultural openness to moderate the strength of this ethnocentric effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based milk is any product that resembles animal or bovine milk but is made from plant extracts. While plant-based milk is considered a better alternative to bovine milk ethically, environmentally, and health-wise, the demand for plant analogues remains low in India because the country is the largest producer and consumer of bovine milk globally. To increase the credibility of plant-based milk as a food product in a competitive market like India, it is essential to understand consumer perspectives regarding plant-based substitutes. In-depth interviews were used to understand respondents' views, experiences, feelings, and perspectives regarding plant-based milk consumption. A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts identified the primary motivators, deterrents, and marketing scope for plant-based milk consumption in a bovine dairy-dominated nation like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, gambling has become increasingly prominent in everyday life; the term 'gamblification' first emerged in the late 2000s and was used to describe the colonisation of sports and sporting cultures by the gambling industry. Since that time, gamblification has been used to describe a range of phenomena in increasingly diffuse contexts; it has been variously used as a proxy for the convergence of gaming and gambling, to describe specific monetisation practices, or as a means of motivating consumer behaviours. Conceptual clarity has been further muddied by the positioning of gamblification as a form of gamification. This work provides a definition of gamblification, which draws upon and consolidates existing uses of the term while also providing a lens through which the differing aspects of gamblification can be understood and appraised. By doing so, this work will establish a clear conceptual framework, which can structure in-depth discussions of this multi-dimensional phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Milk is an important source of protein for many Indian households. However, milk intake is very low. Hence, it is necessary to examine production-consumption linkages of milk within the paradigm of accessibility, availability, and affordability. Objectives: This study examined linkages between milk consumption and production, accounting for sales and factors associated with production investments in rural Bihar, a major milk-producing state of India with very poor nutritional status. Methods: A panel of households from the Gaya and Nalanda districts of Bihar were surveyed: the first round in July and August 2019 (n = 2026 households) and the second round from December 2019 to January 2020 (n = 2001 households). Data were collected on household consumption, production, and sale of milk, as well as other foods. The study examines the consumption-production linkage of milk and the association of dietary diversity with consumption from own production, with households as the unit of analysis. Ordinary least square regression analysis of average monthly household milk consumption was used to identify factors associated with milk consumption, particularly milk production. Results: The median (Quartile 1, Quartile 3) per capita milk consumption per day was 83.3 (41.6, 166.6) mL in the milk-consuming households. Average monthly household milk consumption in liters was higher in milk-producing households [β: 7.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.1, 8.1] than households relying on market purchases. Household milk consumption was higher in the third tertile of milk production than the first tertile of production (β: 14.3 L/wk; 95% CI: 12.1, 17.2) and lower in the highest tertile of household sale quantity (β: -8.8 L/wk in tertile 3, 95% CI: -12.7, -5) than the first tertile of household sale quantity of milk. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that consumption of milk in rural households is associated with own production such that households with higher production consume more. However, sale preferences restrict the quantity of milk consumed in milk-producing households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in trouble half-way towards their target date of 2030. With increasing global inequalities, and reversal in developmental gains because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as financial and political instability, achieving the goals in the next seven years seems difficult. We undertake an exercise in defining an ecological system of the SDGs to argue that focusing on two sentinel goals of SDGs 5 & 12 ('gender equality' and 'responsible consumption and production') could be key to achieving the other goals. The linkages posited in the SDG ecosystem are based upon our reading of the literature from a political economic and political ecological perspective. Prioritising SDGs 5 and 12 requires more of political rather than a financial commitment. The paper proposes a pathway to achieving some success in realising SDGs during their remaining half-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting on and becoming aware of our food consumption practices is a necessity, given the environmental problems we face as humanity. The literature reports that the processes involved in beef production have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, talking about this in school is relevant to contribute to the development of sustainable consumption practices. However, specific materials to address this issue are scarce. This led us to produce an educational material, which we subjected to an evaluation process using the Delphi method to identify areas of opportunity to improve its design. We conducted 3 rounds of evaluation in which a panel of 5 experts participated, their opinions were categorized into eight dimensions using content analysis. In round 3 we achieved stability of opinions, and throughout the process we identified 34 areas of opportunity, mainly related to the dimension Design of activities. The expert evaluation experience reaffirmed that this is a mechanism that contributes to the quality of educational materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does spending from a used (vs. unused) account affect consumption behavior? An account is used when some resources of that account have been used (e.g., $90 has been used on a gift card that originally had $100). An account is unused when no resources of that account have been used (e.g., no money has been used on a gift card that has $10). Across seven studies (N= 8,667), we find that people are more likely to spend resources from a used account than otherwise equivalent resources from an unused account. This is because people engage in within-account comparisons, comparing the remaining resources in the account with what the account originally had, leading them to value the remaining resources less in a used account. We demonstrate the robustness of the effect of a used (vs. unused) account across several domains, including gift cards, checking accounts, and credit card reward points. Further, we demonstrate a boundary condition of the effect, revealing that the proportion of the account remaining moderates the subsequent consumption. Lastly, we generalize this effect from consumption to charitable giving. The findings provide insights into how policymakers, companies, and individuals may consider leveraging the perception of an account being used or unused to curb expenses and encourage charitable giving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household borrowing and spending rise with house prices, particularly for leveraged households, but household spending is not consumption. We propose a borrow-to-invest motive by which house price gains affect household spending on residential investment: rational, leveraged households have an incentive to make additional residential investments when house prices rise. Credit constraints then matter through reducing access to leveraged returns and so reducing lifetime resources, rather than through consumption smoothing. We test this motive by comparing responses in different categories of spending across more and less leveraged households. We find strong evidence of the borrow-to-invest motive in UK data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their significance, research on memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) has rapidly increased in the last decade. However, few comprehensive studies have traced knowledge creation and dissemination in this important research area. To address this gap, 104 articles focused on MTEs from eight tourism journals were analyzed. This study applied multiple approaches, including a trend analysis of prevailing research themes and keywords, bibliometric analysis, and content analysis, generating suggestions for future research. Among the meaningful results, this study identified three research streams: the experience economy, the nomological network analysis of MTEs, and remembered experience analysis. Additional findings from a content analysis, and nine future research agendas were produced. Thus, by improving the understanding of customers' MTEs, our findings not only open paths for future research but also have implications for industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines a multicolored woolen shawl owned by the poet Emily Dickinson. Contemporary writings from the period referred to such textiles as "India shawls," although the provenance of Dickinson's shawl is unknown. India shawls frequently appear in sources ranging from advertisements to fashion columns to fiction, but as often as not, the modifier India is emptied of its meaning and extrapolated, by association, to shawls made in Europe and elsewhere. The shawl's true site of origin in Kashmir is thus obscured by the process through which India comes to bear the weight of Orientalist commodification for a market of female consumers. This essay traces the literary, historical, cultural, social, and economic significance of both Kashmiri and European shawls, reading them alongside the production of cotton textiles and in the larger context of transnational and transoceanic networks of imperial commodity culture. Drawing on the poet's references to shawls and fabrics as well as on the qualities of the textile itself, this essay takes Dickinson's shawl as a starting point from which to begin unraveling the tangled threads that make up the production and consumption of one particularly fashionable nineteenth-century garment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis quantitative study featuring a representative sample from four Canadian regions (n = 1,011) investigates the impact of fandom and gender on 12 consumption behaviors pertaining to the 2019 NBA Championships. To analyze the panel survey results, multivariate multiple and ordinal probit regressions were used to measure the impact of gender, fandom, and the gender-fandom interaction on live and non-live consumption behaviors respectively. Fandom significantly predicted all 12 consumption behaviors, while gender and the fandom-gender interaction only significantly impacted live television consumption. Specifically, men viewed more live games via television than women, driven in-large-part by non-fan men viewing more games than non-fan women. Results indicated fandom is the dominant driver of consumption, stressing its importance and inclusion within academic and marketing decisions, with gender playing a near negligible role. Yet, given live television viewing is a gateway consumption behavior, strategies targeting gender parity should target this consumption mode, particularly among non-fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPrevious research on alcohol consumption and leisure illuminates the ways in which drinking practices—including a preference for “craft” products—are entangled with notions of taste and distinction and linked to classed drinking identities and modes of “serious leisure”. However, little is known about how this plays out for light drinkers or short or long-term abstainers from alcohol. These supposed non-consumers have traditionally been located on the periphery of dominant drinking cultures. However, an expanding market of craft and speciality No and Low alcohol (NoLo) drinks in Western contexts presents new opportunities for light/nondrinkers to “do” leisure, (re)engage with the market and construct discerning (non)drinking identities. Drawing on findings from in-depth interviews with UK-based NoLo drinkers, this paper highlights how craft NoLo consumers draw on themes of skill, taste and expertise to align themselves with the discerning (middle-class) drinker and perform or embody modes of serious leisure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human–animal interaction (HAI) is a growing interest research area, especially in relation to human wellbeing. There is a lack of theoretical framework to base human behaviour in horse-human interactions, and often assumptions of ‘traditionalism’ are touted as an explanation for human choices in relation to horse activities. Twenty-one highly involved dressage horse owners ranging in age, experience, and professional affiliation with horses were interviewed in an inductive qualitative approach. Analysis resulted in two core themes centred on becoming a horse-owner and maintaining ownership. The horse ownership motivation (HOM) model is anchored in self-determination theory and explains why horse-human interactions bring psychological satisfaction; supplemented by attachment theory, achievement goal theory, and biophilia hypothesis. Consequently, the HOM model explains motivation to become an owner and maintain ownership over time, and provides a novel theoretical framework in which to base further research into human motivation, wellbeing, and experiences of human–animal interactions, and potentially the animals themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on original archive material from the Tyne and Wear Archives, this article examines the sociological significance of the Metro Centre shopping mall, built in Gateshead in North East England in 1986, at the time the biggest in Europe. It explores how the Metro Centre marked a call to accept the new and 'prevailing ideals' of consumption and represented a key moment for the reformulation of selfhoods as consumer identity practices. Adopting Walter Benjamin's notion of the 'hollow mould' of modernity, the article positions the Metro Centre as an embodiment and material form of wider social, political and economic shifts. Its geographical location at the epicentre of British de-industrialisation is highly significant and marks a key moment where citizens and consumer selfhoods were fused. The shifting discourses around consumerism that occurred during this time, against the backdrop of the increasingly populist ideology of Thatcherism, set the foundations for the emergence of a new neoliberal consumer citizen, who was promised choice, personal growth and wellbeing via consumerism. I will show how new neoliberal ideals of aspiration and meritocracy became interwoven into a new language of consumption that was heavily promoted by the Metro Centre. In fact, the Metro Centre was pivotal in promoting new forms of social exclusion and new articulations of global capitalist production. The article concludes by proposing that the Metro Centre came to embody new neoliberal notions of social 'worth', value and inclusion entwined with engagement in new processes and practices of consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across various markets, consumers rely on brokers to help them select goods. How do brokers shape consumers' valuation? We address this question by drawing from two independent but analogous ethnographies of brokerage and purchasing in the New York housing market and the New York art market. Building upon the relational turn in economic sociology, we identify the interlocking mechanisms by which brokers influence valuation in face-to-face interaction: Brokers (1) build trust by establishing rapport and displaying expertise, (2) prepare consumers to purchase by priming the consumption setting so that consumers compare a specified set of goods and experience urgency, and (3) posit matches between consumers and products, relying on demographic and cultural characteristics of consumers to complete transactions. Our novel theorization of brokerage has broader implications for understanding valuation and consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the late 19th century, when the Melbourne manufacturer and department store Foy & Gibson began to produce mail order catalogues for country customers, it recognised the potential to sell clothing made of Australian wool. This article explores how Foy & Gibson influenced consumer attitudes towards the natural fibre by encouraging them to feel wool as a next-to-the-skin experience. By focusing on underwear and swimsuits in the catalogues across the first three decades of the 20th century, it offers a historical counterpoint to promotional activities that continue into the present urging consumers to understand the benefits of wearing wool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For several decades, video games have been characterized as new forms of art and, at the same time, they are important elements of mass consumption, creating a highly successful industry with millions of fans around the world. But during its first decades of commercialization in the domestic sector, the content of video games was limited in terms of its graphic power, and its advertising resorted to the use of hand-drawn covers to better represent the game content. What is proposed is that art was used strategically to generate desire for consumption, therefore, the purpose of the work will be to reflect on the social uses of art focused on consumption, through the analysis of the discourse of some video game covers in the 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relentless advancement of digital technologies has the potential to significantly reshape the energy landscape as digital technologies become increasingly integrated into diverse sectors of the economy. This study explores the intricate relationship between digitalization and energy in EU countries, focusing on its direct and indirect impacts on energy consumption, structure, and intensity. Furthermore, this study explores the mediating mechanisms that facilitate these changes, including the role of technological innovation and government efficiency in the relationship between digitalization and energy outcomes. Focusing on EU countries and using the system-GMM method, this research accounts for the heterogeneity in the impact of digitalization on energy across various member states. It examines the varying effects in different countries, considering their income levels, environmental regulations, and green investments. The results demonstrate that the strategic deployment of digitalization in EU countries substantially benefits the energy sector. By optimizing energy consumption and enhancing the energy structure through the integration of renewable sources, the EU could move closer to its sustainability objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates production culture and consumption pattern of handloom weavers in Charghat Upazila of Rajshahi District in Bangladesh and also finds the factors affecting their consumption pattern. For this purpose, from the Charghat Upazila, the study selects 51 handloom weavers randomly to collect data. To describe the production culture, the study adopts case study approach and the socio-economic conditions and consumption patterns are described by the descriptive Statistics. A multiple regression model is also applied to find out the factors affecting consumption pattern of handloom weavers. The case study finds that the traditional handloom production culture is dominated by women and sustainable products in terms of hand technology. The descriptive statistics analysis finds that handloom weavers have long experiences in this sector but their consumption levels are at minimal level below the national average without sufficient nutrition and non-food consumption. The regression results find that family size, working hours in the handloom-weaving industry, factory ownership, and monthly income has positive and significant impact on the consumption pattern of the families related with handloom-weaving industry. Therefore, the policies regarding adjusted salaries with working hours and marketing facilities should be initiated for improving the consumption pattern of handloom weavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to study the main parameters characterizing the quality of life of the population of Kazakhstan in modern economic conditions and develop proposals for its improvement. The methodology of the study is based on a holistic approach, including the use of objective indicators of the quality of life that determine the material conditions and means of human livelihood, and subjective assessments of the population, social groups of their material and social well-being. Measuring and evaluating the level and quality of life of the population of Kazakhstan based on an integrated approach includes the use of the following methods: component analysis, normative and stratification, integral indicators, and subjective assessments of the population. The leading blocks of the life support system are considered, including the assessment of income and consumption in the conditions of maintaining socio-economic income differentiation; the social qualitative parameters of the life support system of the population, the most important indicators of the implementation of priority areas of development of labor potential in the innovative economy, modernization of housing policy are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates how scripts of sexual attraction and interaction in contemporary music videos are enduringly formed from heteronormative and essentialist 'natural order' discourses of biological difference that (re)produce and legitimise existing and harmful power relations. Uniquely, this article identifies and interrogates examples of this practice through critical analysis of the use and meaning of male to female and female to male violence in music videos. We know from extant literature that representations inform social interaction and therefore this research has significant implications for real-life sexual interactions and importantly sexual assault and violence against women. By identifying and articulating the ideological work of violence in music videos, this article reveals its significance and meaning in heterosexual sex and relationships. This study is situated within a feminist theoretical framework that priorities participant voice and calls for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers and companies frequently integrate products with lifelike photographs of people, animals, and other entities. However, consumer responses to such products are relatively unknown. Drawing on magical thinking and moral psychology, we propose that, due to a photograph's lifelike resemblance to its referent, consumers believe that photo‐integrated products embody the depicted entity's underlying essence. As such, in cases where consumption compromises the product's integrity (e.g., food, disposable goods), people are less likely to consume photo‐integrated products because doing so is perceived as destroying the depicted entity's essence, which elicits moral discomfort. In contrast, when the photographic image remains intact through consumption, as is the case with durable goods (e.g., magnets), people increase consumption of photo‐integrated products relative to products without photo integration, consistent with their popularity in the marketplace. We highlight two strategies to promote more positive outcomes for managers and consumers alike: (1) choose images of entities whose essence destruction is perceived as less immoral, and (2) increase the durability of the product so the depicted entity's essence is preserved through consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Austerity-stricken Greece has been characterised by the dramatic rise of thousands of formal and informal initiatives and organisations, alongside the development of organised solidarity actions. Despite the role of these organisations in covering needs, they are also making claims for social, environmental, and/or political justice. Applying an innovative website content analysis, this article maps and explains the relationships between the economic crisis and the emergence and character of Alternative Action Organisations, comparing those established before with those established after the crisis. Data reveals a shift from formally to more informally organised initiatives, along with a rise in social economy initiatives. Organisations and networks founded during the crisis promoting alternative consumption practices are more likely to promote values such as solidarity or dignity, whilst explicitly environmental concerns are almost entirely absent. Findings confirm that in times of economic crisis, environmental concerns are relegated, since survival from economic crisis is more urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity masculinity or 'sado' is discussed not only in a gender context but has also become widespread in consumer culture. The spread of commodity image in the process of commodification has led to a society where the use of a product becomes integrated into daily life. Thus, this article explains how the commodification of images influences dreams and leads to consumption activities based on 'sado' images. The study employs a qualitative approach using the phenomenological method to uncover the meaning of experiences and concepts from research subjects. The study collected primary data via field observations and in-depth interviews with 20 Malay youth selected from those who regularly attend gyms or fitness centers in the Bandar Baru Bangi region of Selangor. The findings show that the representation of masculinity that focuses on the appearance and physical strength of men in advertisements has created a dream world for Malay youth until they use the commodities and services offered by the industry. This is because advertising has the power to persuade desire. Among the things that are done through consumption activities are by doing fitness training at the gymnasium center, using the services of a personal trainer and practicing a nutritional diet and taking supplements to grow body muscles. In order to achieve that dream, they have to be willing to sacrifice time, energy, and money. Overall, it can be concluded that the greater the influence of commodification among Malay youth, the more frequently consumption behavior will be done to display the image of 'sado'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer society is characterized by consumers' insatiable desire to acquire more and more material goods. With the migration from the physical environment to the digital realm and the influence of algorithms (AI), consumerism has taken an even larger role in people's lives. Therefore, the aim of this article is to investigate how the algorithms (AI) used in Instagram advertising strategies stimulate impulse purchases. To achieve the established objectives, an exploratory and descriptive method was adopted, with literature research and field research using a questionnaire (survey) as the chosen technical procedure. Through the research, it was possible to identify, among the respondents, that the digital environment has altered their buying behaviors, intensifying impulse purchases. This is because algorithms personalize the content displayed in social media feeds, especially on Instagram, and enhance advertisements, resulting in conversions. Another aspect observed was the respondents' perception of algorithms, as they believe that excessive content personalization can create a kind of "bubble", limiting people's ability to discover new products and ideas that can expand their horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to expand the functionality of systems for monitoring the parameters of the flow of liquid media is substantiated. This article presents the advantages of using meters based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to control the parameters of the flow of liquid media. This paper also aims to solve the problems that arise during the operation of NMR flowmeters-relaxometers in two measurement modes (i.e., pulse mode and mode with periodic modulation of the magnetic field in the NMR signal recording system). Notably, the main problem in the operation of these devices is associated with an increase in the error in measuring liquid flow or the termination of its measurement process with rapid changes in liquid flow. The use of a magnetic mark mode, which helps solve the aforementioned problem, significantly limits the possibilities of using NMR flowmeters-relaxometers when used to monitor the parameters of liquid media or with a large increase in the flowing medium temperature. A method for creating a magnetic mark at the noise level for measuring liquid flow is proposed. In this method, changing the composition of the flowing medium or replacing the liquid does not have a significant effect on the formation of a magnetic mark at the noise level in a strong inhomogeneous magnetic field (i.e., the noise amplitude is several times higher than the signal amplitude). The results of experimental studies of the nutation line from changes in the magnetic field gradient are presented. A mathematical model based on the modified Bloch equations is developed, and the relationships between the magnetic field parameters are established to implement the magnetic mark mode in the NMR signal with magnetization inversion at the noise level. The proposed method ensures that the influence of rapid changes in the value of liquid flow (by a factor of 10 or more) on the flow measurement error is insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]