Reference groups and product line decisions: An experimental investigation of limited editions and product proliferation

Some luxury goods manufacturers offer limited editions of their products, whereas some others market multiple product lines. Researchers have found that reference groups shape consumer evaluations of these product categories. Yet little empirical research has examined how reference groups affect the product line decisions of firms. Indeed, in a field setting it is quite a challenge to isolate reference group effects from contextual effects and correlated effects. In this paper, we propose a parsimonious model that allows us to study how reference groups influence firm behavior and that lends itself to experimental analysis. With the aid of the model we investigate the behavior of consumers in a laboratory setting where we can focus on the reference group effects after controlling for the contextual and correlated effects. The experimental results show that in the presence of strong reference group effects, limited editions and multiple products can help improve firms' profits. Furthermore, the trends in the purchase decisions of our participants point to the possibility that they are capable of introspecting close to two steps of thinking at the outset of the game and then learning through reinforcement mechanisms. © 2010 INFORMS.

Expectations and promises

Discusses the Chancery Division judgment in Thorner v Curtis on a claim by an unpaid farm worker, who was led to expect that he would inherit the farm. Examines whether proprietary estoppel could be proved even if the deceased landowner made no express promise. Reviews case law on proprietary estoppel.

Confidentiality or disclosure?

Considers the discretion of the trustees to disclose the settlor's wishes to the beneficiaries of a family discretionary trust. Discusses the confidentiality principle relating to family discretionary trusts and whether a settlor's wish letter falls within the scope of that principle. Sets out the guidance of the court in Breakspear v Ackland for trustees faced with a request for disclosure from a beneficiary.

Showing interest

Comments on the Chancery Division judgment in Jones v Kernott on the beneficial interests of former cohabiting partners in their family home. Considers whether the partners must have intended to vary their shares when the man stopped paying the mortgage, bought a house in his own name and went to live there. Discusses whether the court could take into account what was considered fair between the partners based on the whole course of dealing, including non-payment of maintenance for children.

The legal pendulum swings back

Comments on the Court of Appeal judgment in Abou-Rahmah v Abacha on liability for dishonest assistance to a breach of trust. Discusses whether an objective standard should apply to determine whether the accessory acted dishonestly. Reviews case law, examining whether the combined test proposed in the House of Lords judgment in Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley is still good law.

The 2,5 Oligoadenylate Synthetase/RNaseL pathway is a novel effector of BRCA1 - and interferon-gamma-mediated apoptosis

I discovered that 2,5OAS family of proteins was transcriptionally upregulated by BRCA1 and interferon gamma in a synergistic manner. This correlated with synergistically induced apoptosis and both the induction of 2,5OAS and the accompanying apoptosis could be inhibited by 2,5OAS specific siRNA proving 2,5OAS was the apoptotic effector.

Visualising London

This research investigates how photographs can be analysed to extract meaning. Two methodologies, visual anthropology and social semiotics, are used to analyse a collection of images and accompanying texts generated by a group of first year tourism students in London. Photographs are categorised into subject areas including iconic buildings, street scenes, people and analysed according to how they relate to the photographers’ characteristics, such as age and nationality. A group of images of Big Ben are then analysed using a social semiotics approach, considering both compositional and contextual information to extract meanings. Results and techniques are then contrasted and compared, noting how the complexity of the image makers’ experience of the city they are documenting lead to their images having multi-layered meanings, and that combining analytic methods can fruitfully reveal a range of these meanings.

Desenvolvimento de modelo para a melhoria do planeamento da manutenção

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

L'Écho de Paris

1899/06/18 (Numéro 5501).

Resoluciones Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá

Doctrina

Diary of Oliver Rising Senior,1797-1851

A diary and account book of Oliver Rising Senior, of Herkimer County, New York. The diary includes a black and white photograph of Esther Rising Myers and one of Rev. John Myers pasted onto the pages. Oliver recounts his travels into Canada through Chippawa, Niagara Falls, and the garrison at Little York in 1797 (p. 61-62). He also describes the British invasion of Sacket’s Harbour in 1812 (p. 100).

Aprendizaje autorregulado en estudiantes sobresalientes de nivel medio superior bilingüe en México.

Tesis (Maestría en Docencia con Orientación en Educación Media Superior) UANL, 2012.

Fray Servando : biografía, discursos, cartas

UANL

Nouveau dictionnaire historique-portatif ou histoire abrégée de tous les hommes qui se sont fait un nom par des talens, des vertus, des...

UANL