Estrutura de populações de Rhodnius neglectus Lent e Psammolestes tertius Lent & Jurberg (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) em ninhos de pássaros (Furnariidae) presentes na palmeira Mauritia flexuosa no Distrito Federal, Brasil

Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954 {Rn}e Psammolestes tertius Lent & Jurberg, 1965 {Pt} são triatomíneos que ocorrem em ninhos de aves, principalmente da família Furnariidae. O ciclo biológico dessas espécies é conhecido em condições de laboratório, sendo poucos estudos em ecótopos silvestres. Para analisar a infestação e estrutura de populações de Rn e Pt em ninhos de aves presentes na palmeira Mauritia flexuosa Linnaeus, em duas estações climáticas do Brasil Central, foram amostradas 41 palmeiras com evidências de nidificação dePhacellodomus ruber Vieillot, 1817 (22 na estação chuvosa e 19 na estação seca) em quatro áreas do Distrito Federal. Os insetos foram capturados usando-se coleta manual na copa da palmeira, identificados morfologicamente, separados por sexo e estádio ninfal. Fezes e glândulas salivares de Rn foram examinadas para verificar infecção por Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 e/ou T. rangeli Tejera, 1920. Trinta e cinco palmeiras com ninhos de P. ruber estavam infestadas por Rn (85%) e 22 por Pt (53%). 442 indivíduos foram coletados na estação seca (200 Rn e 242 Pt) e 267 na estação chuvosa (136 Rn e 131 Pt). O único fator relacionado significativamente com a densidade de triatomíneos nas palmeiras foi a área. A estrutura etária das populações mostrou: a) maior abundância de adultos nas populações de Pt, b) maior abundância de machos em ambas as espécies e c) presença de fêmeas ovipondo em ambas as estações. Nenhum dos 177 triatomíneos examinados estava infectado por T. cruzi ou T. rangeli. A estrutura etária das populações de Rn e Pt não diferiu significativamente entre as estações amostradas, indicando ausência de marcada sazonalidade para essas espécies. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT

Asymmetric price range effects on vertical extensions

Vertical line extensions, both step-up and step-down, are common occurrence in consumer products. For example, Timex recently launched its luxury high-end Valentino line. On the other hand, many companies use downscale extensions to increase the overall sales volume. For instance, a number of luxury watch brands recently introduced watch collections with lower price points, like TAG Heur’s affordable watch the Aquaracer Calibre 5. Previous literature on vertical extensions has investigated how number of products in the line (Dacin and Smith 1994), the direction of the extension, brand concept (Kim, Lavack, and Smith 2001), and perceived risk (Lei, de Ruyter, and Wetzels 2008) affect extensions’ evaluation. Common to this literature is the use of models based on adaptation-level theory, which states that all relevant price information is integrated into a single prototype value and used in consumer judgments of price (Helson 1947; Mazumdar, Raj, and Sinha 2005). In the current research we argue that, while adaptation-level theory can be viewed as a useful simplification to understanding consumers’ evaluations, it misses out important contextual influences caused by a brand’s price range. Drawing on research on range-frequency theory (Mellers and Cooke 1994; Parducci 1965) we investigate the effects of price point distance and parent brand’s price range on evaluations of vertical extensions. Our reasoning leads to two important predictions that we test in a series of three experiments...

Diminishing effects of perceived fit on vertical extensions

A common finding in brand extension literature is that extension’s favorability is a function of the perceived fit between the parent brand and its extension (Aaker and Keller 1990; Park, Milberg, and Lawson 1991; Volckner and Sattler 2006) that is partially mediated by perceptions of risk (Milberg, Sinn, and Goodstein 2010; Smith and Andrews 1995). In other words, as fit between the parent brand and its extension increases, parent brand beliefs become more readily available, thus increasing consumer certainty and confidence about the new extension, which results in more positive evaluations. On the other hand, as perceived fit decreases, consumer certainty about the parent brand’s ability to introduce the extension is reduced, leading to more negative evaluations. Building on the notion that perceived fit of vertical line extensions is a function of the price/quality distance between parent brand and its extension (Lei, de Ruyter, and Wetzels 2008), traditional brand extension knowledge predicts a directionally consistent impact of perceived fit on evaluations of vertical extensions. Hence, vertical (upscale or downscale) extensions that are placed closer to the parent brand in the price/quality spectrum should lead to higher favorability ratings compared to more distant ones.

Framing as status or benefits? Consumers’ reactions to hierarchical loyalty program communication

Purpose A fundamental aspect of hierarchical loyalty programs is that some consumers get rewards that others do not. Despite the widespread use of such programs, academics have long debated whether these benefits are outweighed by the potential negative impact of the differential treatment of customers. This study extends our understanding, examining the impact of message framing on consumers’ reactions to hierarchical loyalty structures. Design/methodology/approach Three online studies were conducted. Study 1 uses advertisements to manipulate the message frame’s emphasis (benefits vs. status). Study 2 manipulates consumers’ frame of thought by directing their attention to either changes in benefits or status. Finally, Study 3 uses the proposed framework to reconcile contradictory findings from past research. Findings Low-frequency customers who do not expect to qualify for a superior customer tier tend to reject hierarchical programs when thinking about status. In contrast, when these customers think about concrete rewards, loyalty program messages produce no negative reactions. High-frequency customers are positively affected by communication regardless of the type of benefits framed. Research limitations/implications All studies were done online potentially limiting the external validity of the results. Nevertheless, the impact of message framing on perceptions about the loyalty program seems to be quite robust across different studies and manipulations. Practical implications When communicating with low-frequency customers managers should avoid promising status; customers should instead be motivated based on concrete rewards. High-frequency customers are indifferent to alternative emphasis of communication frames. Originality/value Marketing academics have acknowledged the importance of being able to reward top customers without demotivating light and moderate users. Our research is the first to provide a solution to this issue.