Direct versus indirect channels: Differentiated loss aversion in a high‐involvement, non‐frequently purchased hedonic product

Purpose – This article aims to investigate whether intermediaries reduce loss aversion in the context of a high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic product (tourism packages). Design/methodology/approach – The study incorporates the reference-dependent model into a multinomial logit model with random parameters, which controls for heterogeneity and allows representation of different correlation patterns between non-independent alternatives. Findings – Differentiated loss aversion is found: consumers buying high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic products are less loss averse when using an intermediary than when dealing with each provider separately and booking their services independently. This result can be taken as identifying consumer-based added value provided by the intermediaries. Practical implications – Knowing the effect of an increase in their prices is crucial for tourism collective brands (e.g. “sun and sea”, “inland”, “green destinations”, “World Heritage destinations”). This is especially applicable nowadays on account of the fact that many destinations have lowered prices to attract tourists (although, in the future, they will have to put prices back up to their normal levels). The negative effect of raising prices can be absorbed more easily via indirect channels when compared to individual providers, as the influence of loss aversion is lower for the former than the latter. The key implication is that intermediaries can – and should – add value in competition with direct e-tailing. Originality/value – Research on loss aversion in retailing has been prolific, exclusively focused on low-involvement and frequently purchased products without distinguishing the direct or indirect character of the distribution channel. However, less is known about other types of products such as high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic products. This article focuses on the latter and analyzes different patterns of loss aversion in direct and indirect channels.

Age-related functional and structural retinal modifications in the Igf1−/− null mouse

Background. Mutations in the gene encoding human insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) cause syndromic neurosensorial deafness. To understand the precise role of IGF-I in retinal physiology, we have studied the morphology and electrophysiology of the retina of the Igf1−/− mice in comparison with that of the Igf1+/− and Igf1+/+ animals during aging. Methods. Serological concentrations of IGF-I, glycemia and body weight were determined in Igf1+/+, Igf1+/− and Igf1−/− mice at different times up to 360 days of age. We have analyzed hearing by recording the auditory brainstem responses (ABR), the retinal function by electroretinographic (ERG) responses and the retinal morphology by immunohistochemical labeling on retinal preparations at different ages. Results. IGF-I levels are gradually reduced with aging in the mouse. Deaf Igf1−/− mice had an almost flat scotopic ERG response and a photopic ERG response of very small amplitude at postnatal age 360 days (P360). At the same age, Igf1+/− mice still showed both scotopic and photopic ERG responses, but a significant decrease in the ERG wave amplitudes was observed when compared with those of Igf1+/+ mice. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that P360 Igf1−/− mice suffered important structural modifications in the first synapse of the retinal pathway, that affected mainly the postsynaptic processes from horizontal and bipolar cells. A decrease in bassoon and synaptophysin staining in both rod and cone synaptic terminals suggested a reduced photoreceptor output to the inner retina. Retinal morphology of the P360 Igf1+/− mice showed only small alterations in the horizontal and bipolar cell processes, when compared with Igf1+/+ mice of matched age. Conclusions. In the mouse, IGF-I deficit causes an age-related visual loss, besides a congenital deafness. The present results support the use of the Igf1−/− mouse as a new model for the study of human syndromic deaf-blindness.

Feedbacks between vegetation pattern and resource loss dramatically decrease ecosystem resilience and restoration potential in a simple dryland model

Conceptual frameworks of dryland degradation commonly include ecohydrological feedbacks between landscape spatial organization and resource loss, so that decreasing cover and size of vegetation patches result in higher water and soil losses, which lead to further vegetation loss. However, the impacts of these feedbacks on dryland dynamics in response to external stress have barely been tested. Using a spatially-explicit model, we represented feedbacks between vegetation pattern and landscape resource loss by establishing a negative dependence of plant establishment on the connectivity of runoff-source areas (e.g., bare soils). We assessed the impact of various feedback strengths on the response of dryland ecosystems to changing external conditions. In general, for a given external pressure, these connectivity-mediated feedbacks decrease vegetation cover at equilibrium, which indicates a decrease in ecosystem resistance. Along a gradient of gradual increase of environmental pressure (e.g., aridity), the connectivity-mediated feedbacks decrease the amount of pressure required to cause a critical shift to a degraded state (ecosystem resilience). If environmental conditions improve, these feedbacks increase the pressure release needed to achieve the ecosystem recovery (restoration potential). The impact of these feedbacks on dryland response to external stress is markedly non-linear, which relies on the non-linear negative relationship between bare-soil connectivity and vegetation cover. Modelling studies on dryland vegetation dynamics not accounting for the connectivity-mediated feedbacks studied here may overestimate the resistance, resilience and restoration potential of drylands in response to environmental and human pressures. Our results also suggest that changes in vegetation pattern and associated hydrological connectivity may be more informative early-warning indicators of dryland degradation than changes in vegetation cover.

Obesity, knee osteoarthritis, and polypathology: factors favoring weight loss in older people

Aim: We aimed to explore the meaning of obesity in elderly persons with knee osteoarthritis (KO) and to determine the factors that encourage or discourage weight loss. Background: Various studies have demonstrated that body mass index is related to KO and that weight loss improves symptoms and functional capacity. However, dietary habits are difficult to modify and most education programs are ineffective. Design: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted. Intentional sampling was performed in ten older persons with KO who had lost weight and improved their health-related quality of life after participating in a health education program. A thematic content analysis was conducted following the stages proposed by Miles and Huberman. Findings: Participants understood obesity as a risk factor for health problems and stigma. They believed that the cause of obesity was multifactorial and criticized health professionals for labeling them as “obese” and for assigning a moral value to slimness and diet. The factors identified as contributing to the effectiveness of the program were a tolerant attitude among health professionals, group education that encouraged motivation, quantitative dietary recommendations, and a meaningful learning model based on social learning theories. Conclusion: Dietary self-management without prohibitions helped participants to make changes in the quantity and timing of some food intake and to lose weight without sacrificing some foods that were deeply rooted in their culture and preferences. Dietary education programs should focus on health-related quality of life and include scientific knowledge but should also consider affective factors and the problems perceived as priorities by patients.