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The symbolic value of the journey has been widely explored in literary theory, educational science, history and philosophy. However, is it possible to approach travel from a theological point of view? The aim of our article is to answer this question. In order to do so, we essentially seek a biblical and theological–spiritual foundation for our research. First, we start from the experience contained in travel books as well as from the notion of the journey as a path to wisdom as it appears in some literary works. After examining the pedagogical value of the notion of the journey as an adventure in which the hero is formed, and the philosophical value of the concept of the journey as a search for the meaning of life, we intend to develop the theological approach on three levels: examining the notion of the journey as a metaphor for the Christian way; the experience of the journey as expatriation; and the relationship between the journey and conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The research aims to examine the influence of perceived value (PV) dimensions on brand loyalty of luxury car owners and to examine the mediating role of attitudinal loyalty (AL) between PV dimensions and behavioral loyalty (BL). Design/methodology/approach – Primary data for the study were gathered from the luxury car owners in Kerala, India. The construct measurements have been adopted from previous research studies. Structural equation modeling with the partial least square (PLS) technique was used to analyze the measurements and conceptual model. Findings – The findings show that out of four PV dimensions among luxury car owners, the hedonic value (HV) significantly influences their AL. Economic value influences BL, and social values have an impact on AL as well as BL, but the relationship of functional value with any is not supported by the results. AL is a strong predictor of BL, and it actively mediates the relationship of HV and symbolic value with BL. Practical implications – The manufactures of luxury cars provide more importance to hedonic and symbolic elements while launching new models and consider the price perceptions of the targeted customers while making decisions related to brand attachment and brand loyalty. Originality/value – This study contributes to the decision-making of the rapidly growing vehicle market by examining the perceptions and by providing the effects of perceived values among luxury car owners. Also, it extends the literature by developing a framework for PV dimensions on AL and BL and also incorporated the mediating role of AL.

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association 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.)

The vast consumer market at the bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) segment offers a lucrative business proposition for organizations, but this terrain is challenging. One effective strategy to address this issue can be through a robust consumer-brand relationship by fostering a sense of brand gratitude among BOP customers. The study aims to investigate the phenomenon of brand gratitude among BOP customers in emerging markets, such as India. By using consumer embeddedness and market separation theory, this study determines the different factors that can lead subsistence market buyers to feel deeply grateful for brands. Through a comprehensive qualitative study, where marketing professionals working in BOP markets, rural retailers, and BOP customers were interviewed, the study developed a conceptual framework consisting of utilitarian, emotional, and symbolic values. These elements will help BOP customers appreciate the brand, leading to reciprocal behaviors like brand loyalty, repurchases, and advocacy. These outcomes are crucial for every company, especially those navigating the challenging BOP markets. A few studies offer techniques for organizations to establish strong consumer-brand relationships at BOP, and doing so with the goal of generating brand gratitude among this customer segment is uncommon. The current study examines the concept of brand gratitude at BOP, which has rarely been done before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion 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.)

Copyright of Estudios de la Gestión is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador 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.)

The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the dynamics of performatives, with special focus on normatively charged institutions as legal-political ones, with the help of a case study coming from Roman antiquity: the appointment of Julius Caesar as "perpetual dictator", as it is analyzed by Licandro (2022). That analysis shows both how institutional performatives are established and how they are subject to tensions and changes in their course of application. On that basis, I will make two hypotheses. First, the power of legal-political performatives is (also) grounded in what I will call "symbolic value": a special feature of certain linguistic expressions which is historically related to religious rituals. Second, symbolic value and practical (i.e., means-end) reasoning are not alternative explanations, they are partners both in establishing legal-political performatives and in driving their application through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watching live streams as a constituent of the online buying process is a recently emerged trend that demands empirical investigation. For this purpose, the researcher proposed a conceptual model using S-O-R framework to investigate the relationships among perceived shopping values (utilitarian value, hedonic value, symbolic value) and buyers' engagement and purchase intention in live streaming. We assess the model's performance through an empirical measurement by conducting a survey of 300 customers who have made purchases through Facebook live streaming on social media. The path analysis results revealed that utilitarian value is significantly related to customer engagement and purchase intention while hedonic value is found to have no effect on customer engagement but significant effect on purchase intention. Symbolic value is also found to effect customer engagement significantly. The results also revealed that customer engagement mediates the relationship between utilitarian value, symbolic value, and purchase intention. Our findings also deliver some theoretical and practical implications for live commerce sellers and online platforms on how to effectively utilize live streaming features to strategically market their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Actas de Diseño is the property of Facultad de Diseno y Comunicacion, Fundacion Universidad de Palermo 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.)

In dealing with human corpses, notions of dignity play a decisive role, especially within legal texts that regulate a corpse's handling. However, it is quite unclear how the claim "Treat human corpses with dignity!" should be understood and justified. Drawing upon examples and problems from forensic medicine, this paper explores three possible lines of interpreting such demands: (a) positions that closely link the dignity of the human corpse to the dignity of the former living persons and (b) accounts that derive the dignity of the dead from consequentialist considerations. We argue that both lines heavily rely on contestable metaphysical claims and therefore propose an alternative account for the dignity of the dead. Our proposal (c) focuses on action-guiding attitudes and the symbolic value of the dead. Such a conception allows for a variety of morally appropriate groundings of individual attitudes. It avoids metaphysically troublesome premises and, at the same time, allows to classify certain actions and manners of acting as clearly inappropriate and blameworthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-Columbian workbaskets were common inside burials, especially in coastal Andean regions. They mostly contained tools and raw materials related to textile production, but there were also some elements (e.g. Spondylus shells) not strictly connected to a practical use. Workbaskets are mentioned in many contributions by scholars and researchers but unfortunately rarely studied in detail. The Pre-Columbian collections housed in the Anthropology and Ethnology Museum in Florence include four Peruvian workbaskets. As no in-depth study has ever been published on them, this contribution aims to provide a detailed analysis of their structure and contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Art” is a specific type of human activity, which aims to reflect reality or idea in a concrete-sensual image, which involves aesthetic perception. The history of art is in fact the history of vision, which is not “innocent”, it is interested, selective and empathetic. Art was used as a demonstration of culture, and it was a tool for socially significant ideas and values. For a long time, the strategy of art studies was limited to descriptive formal and stylistic analysis of artworks. The analysis of the phenomena of artistic culture from the standpoint of structural-semiotic analysis involves highlighting the structure, main elements, and details of the work to understand the meaning. Here we should mention the so-called linguistic turn, the initiators of which replaced the classical idea of reflection, which gave rise to radically new strategies for perceiving works of art, and there was a transition from the analysis of formal to symbolic aspects of a work of art. Thus, iconography is based on the study of the plot, which is revealed through the analysis of certain signs or images. Later Aby Warburg de-Christianized the word “iconology” and used it to denote the general scientific study of images in history and society. Erwin Panofsky narrowed the concept of iconology to the study of allegorical and other images based on theology, philosophy, or literature. But the visual cannot be accurately conveyed in verbal language precisely because the experience we have from viewing works of fine art is special and conditioned by our sensations and feelings (perceptual experience). Therefore, the concept of subjective vision was formed, and it is the observer who takes the first position, and the view acquires autonomy. Artist is considered as a unique kind of producer who can turn anything – even a urinal – into art with a single gesture. This puts the artist in the privileged position of a monopolist: he has exclusive rights to production. We note the elevated perception of art, due to the whole system of culture, which promotes the special status of the work of art through the system of institutions and criticism. A work of art has the characteristics of uniqueness, durability and authenticity, and our perception is conditioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Intense competition compels every product to innovate. Luxury brands must employ various strategies to attract consumers, one of which is fostering strong customer relationships, measured by the extent of customers' connection to the brand. This study aims to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the cosmetic luxury brand, using brand resonance as the dependent variable, brand salience as the independent variable, and symbolic value as the mediating variable. Method -- This research employs an explanatory research design with a quantitative approach. The study's population consists of consumers of luxury cosmetic brands in Indonesia, with a sample size of 96 respondents. Data analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares (PLS), a variant of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) capable of performing both model testing and structural model testing simultaneously. The statistical tool employed for this analysis is SmartPLS 4, which provides user-friendly access to multivariate analysis methods. Result -- The results indicate that brand salience does not have a significant effect on brand resonance. However, it was found that symbolic value can serve as a mediator in the relationship between brand salience and brand resonance. Brand resonance is a crucial aspect of maintaining consumer loyalty and can be achieved by strengthening the brand's association with customers. Contribution -- This research contributes by examining the influence of brand salience on brand resonance, a less-explored aspect of brand management, and introduces the concept of symbolic value as a potential mediator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion 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 — Intense competition compels every product to innovate. Luxury brands must employ various strategies to attract consumers, one of which is fostering strong customer relationships, measured by the extent of customers' connection to the brand. This study aims to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the cosmetic luxury brand, using brand resonance as the dependent variable, brand salience as the independent variable, and symbolic value as the mediating variable. Method — This research employs an explanatory research design with a quantitative approach. The study's population consists of consumers of luxury cosmetic brands in Indonesia, with a sample size of 96 respondents. Data analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares (PLS), a variant of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) capable of performing both model testing and structural model testing simultaneously. The statistical tool employed for this analysis is SmartPLS 4, which provides user-friendly access to multivariate analysis methods. Result — The results indicate that brand salience does not have a significant effect on brand resonance. However, it was found that symbolic value can serve as a mediator in the relationship between brand salience and brand resonance. Brand resonance is a crucial aspect of maintaining consumer loyalty and can be achieved by strengthening the brand's association with customers. Contribution — This research contributes by examining the influence of brand salience on brand resonance, a less-explored aspect of brand management, and introduces the concept of symbolic value as a potential mediator.

Gold is a sought-after good across the globe, particularly among Asian countries. The demand for gold is influenced by symbolic, utilitarian, and hedonic values. One of the critical values among these is symbolic value, which refers to the meanings associated with a commodity. This study attempts to identify the impact of cultural dynamism on the perceptions of women towards the symbolic value of gold. Cultural dynamism is a definite outcome of globalization; it refers to the changes in cultural beliefs and practices as an outcome of exposure to the elements of other cultures. These cultural changes will have an impact on the consumption of all types of goods, particularly those goods that are demanded due to a region's culture. The present study attempts to identify the direction of cultural dynamics and its impact on gold in India as an outcome of the economy opening up in 1990. The perceptions of two sets of samples have been compared and contrasted in this study: one is a set of females born and married (this is because marriage has a vital role in determining perceptions towards gold) before the advent of globalization and its impacts in India, and the second set is the daughters (to ensure that other elements, such as socioeconomic aspects, are not affecting the perception) of the first set of customers. This study adopts a multidimensional scaling technique to analyze the data; this is due to the sound method that it is, and also due to the ability to provide a visual depiction of the outcomes. It could reveal evidence of polarization regarding perceptions towards the symbolic value of gold; it opened a research gap. A similar study with which to identify perceptions towards hedonic and symbolic values is suggested as an outcome of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though "iconic species" are mentioned throughout the environmental discourse, this concept is seldom operationalized in conservation research. This study proposes the Iconic Species Scale (ISS) to assess perceptions of iconic characters and the value of species. The ISS was developed and tested across two species (sea turtles/live oaks) and two participant types (residents/tourists) (N = 457) to assess scale reliability and validity. Following scale development approaches, the ISS was refined and verified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Statistical measures confirmed a two-factor structure and measurement equality across the case species and participant groups. While further testing across cultural and species contexts is recommended, the ISS is presented as a reliable and valid scale to gauge the iconicity of species across various stakeholders. As certain species are often the face of conservation efforts, iconic species are a particularly important aspect of stakeholder support and paramount to building political support for environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the e-commerce development and changing of hotels’ booking channels, the online word-of-mouth, as a new signal of quality, is becoming to attract more attention of consumers. Using the scenario experiment, this study explores the effect of online word-of-mouth on brand sensitivity of consumers during the decision making for hotel booking. The results show that if the information about hotels obtained is limited in the decision-making process, consumers would have a higher sensitivity to the hotel brand. Increasing information about the online word-of-mouth can effectively reduce consumers’ brand sensitivity to hotels. Besides, the moderating effect of the hotel grade on the relationship between the online word-of-mouth and brand sensitivity is affected by the scale of the negative differences of word-of-mouth.

Copyright of Advanced Textile Technology is the property of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Magazines 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.)

Tea has rich symbolic meanings in China’s economic culture, thus accumulating strong value advantages, which continues to influence Chinese people ’ s psychology and behavior of tea consumption. By sorting out tea classics in China and drawing on relevant marketing concepts, this study traces the construction process of tea ’ s symbolic value from a historical perspective, aiming to analyze its role on Chinese consumer demand, enrich the theoretical framework of symbolic consumption, and provide reference for the effective promotion of Chinese tea brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Storia dell'Urbanistica is the property of Associazione Storia della Citta 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.)

This paper analyzes the important role of jamu in the complementary medical market of Indonesia by exploring the four types of market valuation as proposed in the social order of market by Jens Beckert (Beckert, 2009). Different from studies conducted by Srivastava et al. (2021), Kumar et al. (2021), Neto et al. (2020), and Poonthananiwatkul et al. (2015) that mostly discuss physical and material value, specifically on the product standardization and pharmacological characteristics of traditional medicine at the respective Asian countries, this study focuses on both material and symbolic qualities of jamu in Indonesia. By presenting market valuation as a composite of standardization, cognitive anchoring, normative legitimation, and social positioning, this study reveals that Jamu is more recognized by its symbolic value than its material or physical value. As a methodological novelty, this study illustrates how to visualize the pattern and structure of connectivity between words as a value formation process in jamu market by employing TNA and corpus-based SNA using Gephi and WORDij software. This study also illustrates a theoretical operationalization of how the issue of product valuation in the market as social order is justified by empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 86% of Generation Y South Africans found to have a Samsung phone, we examined 1) whether they love and are satisfied with the brand, 2) how much the consumption value theory (monetary, functional and symbolic values) explains brand love and satisfaction, 3) the relationship between brand satisfaction and love. We surveyed 651 respondents from two large universities. Results revealed that Generation Y South Africans moderately love and are adequately satisfied with the Samsung phone brand. Structural equation modeling results showed that the three consumption values and brand satisfaction positively influenced brand love. Brand satisfaction was driven by only monetary and functional values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study investigates the process of family language policy and planning among a group of immigrant mothers with south Asian backgrounds in Hong Kong, and explores the underlying cultural, socio-political and ideological reasons. Moving beyond a discrete analysis of family language policy within the home context to incorporate elements of historical time and space, the data analysis shows that family language policy is shaped by individuals' cultural affiliations, future imaginations and their experiences across the contexts of school, community, workplace, host society and home country. Furthermore, broader social and ideological realities also impact individuals, and thereby influence family language policy. The findings suggest that South Asian families may face difficulty in maintaining their children's heritage language literacy, and that the immigrant mothers' lack of local educational experiences and limited knowledge of the Chinese language may disadvantage their children in terms of educational opportunities. Providing an in-depth understanding of bottom-up language practices, language planning and implementation in immigrant home contexts, this study has implications for policy makers in terms of language education and provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetics test in predictive medicine seems to take charge of the uniqueness of any human being. Unlike preventive medicine it moves from the theoretical assumption of the knowledge of a specific individual's genetic structure and potential fragility. However, the attention paid to the gene risks placing the living and experienced body in the shadow. Sometimes, "genetic news" can make the subject in the present act like a sick person without being so, read every event in that direction, and, ultimately, fulfill the prophecy. The article goes beyond the alleged non-exceptionalism of genetic data and discusses the symbolic value that the gene has assumed and its role in reflexivity and self-perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: this study aims to examine the impacts of price levels, high level vs. low level, associated to a known brand vs. an unknown brand over fairness perception, symbolism quality and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach: one pre-experiment is conducted with a 2 (high price level vs. low price level) x 2 (known brand vs. unknown brand) between-subjects design and a sample of 152 jeans customers. Finding: the results indicate that different price levels with brand knowledge or without brand knowledge impact differently over customer behavior, mainly when it comes to quality, fairness, perceived value, symbolic value and purchase intention of the investigated product and that that the relation between symbolic value and purchase intention is totally mediated by the perceived fairness. Practical Implication: by understanding how customers integrate, relate and infer quality, fairness and symbolic aspects to products through their perceptions concerning price levels and brand knowledge levels, it is possible to supply marketing professionals with information that lead to better-informed choices about pricing policy and branding in their companies. Originality/value: among these research contributions, we emphasize the proposition of eleven research hypotheses that aim to better understand customer behavior from the manipulation of two variables: product price level and brand knowledge level and its impact on perceived quality, fairness, symbolism and purchase intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconfiguring the dynamics of life became a necessary reality due to COVID-19; most of the population did not visualize what we face today. Breaking with existing paradigms around derived activities from forced confinement and the use of masks, has given relevance to the image as the basic language in the face of social distancing. The objective of this work is to interweave symbolic representations and the need for human beings to integrate themselves into a society, through the processes of meaning and symbolic elements, to weave cohesion or to unravel social relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Strategy & Development Review is the property of Strategy & Development Review 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.)

The hand-woven carpet because of the capacity of having the artistic, economic and conceptual aspects during the history, has found different functions besides its own consumable function. In Travelogues and historiographies was mentioned about the very splendor and luxury carpets that describing the glorious palaces. It indicates carpets gradually obtained a value more than consuming value.This research was conducted using the descriptive and analytical approach, based on library and documents data, with visual investigation on paintings from 15th to 18th centuries to finding the shape of the usage of carpets. Because that was not possible to investigate all European countries, it was emphasized on most important samples in terms of economy, commercial and artistic status.It seems by the spread of conspicuous consumption among high class people and afterwards among middle class families, arose a kind of symbolic value for hand- woven carpets. The research shows in capitalism and consumerism societies, carpets were a symbol of wealth and self-glorification for their owners. As during the 16 century and afterwards, their the consumable value as the floor covering, converted to symbolic value as a very important element in decorating the palaces, mosques, churches and paintings.

Objective: To analyse the potential of atole de plato to be considered as an element of agrotourism in El Estanco, municipality of Luvianos, State of Mexico, through the theory of social representations. Methodology: The study is based on an exploratory qualitative approach; through participant observation it was possible to identify the meanings and symbolism surrounding the elaboration of atole de plato for its use in tourism. Results: Using the theory of social representations, it was identified that atole de plato is a food with cultural, historical and social value, a situation that postulates that it is at a stage prior to its insertion into the tourism offer of rural destinations that have opted for tourism as a path towards development. Limitations: One of the limitations of the study is the difficulty of grounding the postulates of the theory in empirical operational terms, as well as the cultural hermeticism of the family group studied. Conclusions: The study concludes that atole de plato has latent potential for inclusion in the local agro-tourism offer; however, it is necessary to establish an integrated offer with other community resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]