scholarly journals Influence of income on tertiary students acquisition of cellular products

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A.P Drotsky ◽  
B. Janse van Rensburg ◽  
J. W. De Jager

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to determine whether there are any differences between high and low-income group students in their selection of a cellular phone brand or network operator. Design/Methodology/Approach: Four hypotheses are set to determine if there are any significant differences between the two income groups in current decision-making. It is established that there exist no significant difference between high and low-income students in their selection of cellular phones and network operators. The levels of agreement or disagreement on various statements do, however, give an indication of the importance that students place on aspects that they view as important when acquiring a cellular phone or network operator.Findings: In the article, it is established that no significant differences exist between the two income groups. The levels of agreement or disagreement indicate the importance that subscription method, social value, service quality and branding has on student decision-making. Implications: The article provides a better understanding of the influence that income plays in student's decision-making in acquiring cellular products and services. Possible future research in student cellular usage can be guided through the information obtained in this article. Originality/Value: The article provides information to cellular network operators, service providers and cellular phone manufactures regarding the influence of income on students' acquisition of cellular products and services. Information from the article can assist in the establishment of marketing plans for the student market by these role players.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
pp. 121-122
Author(s):  
Melissa Ramel ◽  
Denise Wilfley ◽  
Rachel Tabak

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: An evidence-based approach for childhood obesity is family-based treatment (FBT). Research supports that motivation and income level may impact treatment success; however, the relationship between the two is understudied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine whether motivation for beginning FBT is associated with income levels. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 459 parent and child dyads from the PLAN (Pediatric, Learning, Activity, Nutrition) with Families multisite study were included in this study. PLAN consists of FBT through personalized health coaching over the course of two years, focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and parenting skills. Parent and child also attend height and weight assessments every 6 months in the study. Outcomes of the study include weight change and mastery of behavioral skills. Motivation and income level were provided by self-report at the beginning of the study. Motivation was based on a scale from 1-10 (1 = no motivation, 10 = high motivation). Income levels were grouped into one of three broader categories- low income ($80,000/year). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The mean level of motivation for the parent was 8.76 and for the child was 7.87. There was a significant difference in the mean level of motivation for the child and parent, t = 7.73, p = < .001. Post-hoc multiple comparisons using Tukey’s HSD test indicated that children in the high-income group had lower levels of motivation (M = 7.29, SD = 2.07) compared to children in the middle (M = 8.18) and low (M = 8.70) income groups. Level of motivation did not differ for children in the middle and low-income groups. Finally, parent motivation level did not differ significantly by income group. While there were significant differences between parent and child motivation levels, the motivation remained high for both groups. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The data suggests a significant difference in mean child motivation and income level. Child’s high motivation may be from the idea of participating in something new, a rare opportunity for low-income children. To improve the implementation and efficacy of FBT, further study into the relationship between motivation and income level should be done.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 737
Author(s):  
Indre Siksnelyte-Butkiene ◽  
Dalia Streimikiene ◽  
Tomas Balezentis ◽  
Virgilijus Skulskis

The European Commission has recently adopted the Renovation Wave Strategy, aiming at the improvement of the energy performance of buildings. The strategy aims to at least double renovation rates in the next ten years and make sure that renovations lead to higher energy and resource efficiency. The choice of appropriate thermal insulation materials is one of the simplest and, at the same time, the most popular strategies that effectively reduce the energy demand of buildings. Today, the spectrum of insulation materials is quite wide, and each material has its own specific characteristics. It is recognized that the selection of materials is one of the most challenging and difficult steps of a building project. This paper aims to give an in-depth view of existing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) applications for the selection of insulation materials and to provide major insights in order to simplify the process of methods and criteria selection for future research. A systematic literature review is performed based on the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. In order to determine which MCDM method is the most appropriate for different questions, the main advantages and disadvantages of different methods are provided.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Masudur Rahman ◽  
Guan Fuquan ◽  
Laila Arjuman Ara

This paper empirically investigates the effects of financial development on incomes of Chinese residents particularly within various income groups using data from six provinces by applying the Quantile Regression model. The Greenwood and Jovanovich hypothesis that illustrates the inverted U shaped relationship between financial development and income inequality is tested. This empirical study demonstrates that financial development has a positive but non-linear effect on the annual income of individuals from various income groups at different quantiles. The effect is an inverted U or Kuznets effect indicating an increase at first and then a drop. As for the distribution of the impact on various income groups, the low-income group is under the most dominant influence followed by the high-income group with the middle-income groups receiving relatively smaller influence. Findings indicate that promoting balanced financial development would help to ease the income gap between Chinese residents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-15
Author(s):  
S Scott Ogletree ◽  
Jing Huei Huang ◽  
Claudia Alberico ◽  
Oriol Marquet ◽  
Myron F Floyd ◽  
...  

Public parks offer free and easy to access spaces for outdoor recreation, which is essential for children’s outdoor play and physical activity in low-income communities.  Because parks and playgrounds contribute to children’s physical, social, and emotional development, it is critical to understand what makes them attractive and welcoming for families with young children. Parents can be a key determinant to children visiting parks, with their preferences influencing whether or not families visit parks in their neighborhoods. Past studies have posited there are significant differences across racial/ethnic populations in preferred park characteristics, but few have investigated specific park attributes parents from different racial and ethnic groups desire for their children. This study examined attributes associated with parental preferences for parks in low-income diverse communities in New York City, New York and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USA. Parents’ responses were grouped into 10 categories using content analysis, with four key preference themes identified: physical attributes, experiences, social environment, and amenities. Physical attributes (i.e., playgrounds, sports fields, green spaces) were most desired among all groups. A significant difference across race/ethnic groups was found in New York but not in Raleigh-Durham. In New York, Latino parents had a strong preference for experience attributes (i.e. safety, safe facilities, cleanliness) which differed from other groups. Examining Latino parents in both cities we found no significant difference between cities. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to encourage park use, our finding suggests facilities and park safety are modifiable ways local government agencies could design and maintain parks that would be preferred by parents for their children. Future research should examine how neighborhood context may influence parent preferences related to parks. Parents’ responses were grouped into 10 categories using content analysis, with four key preference themes identified. A significant difference across race/ethnic groups was found in New York but not in Raleigh-Durham. Examining Latino parents in both cities we found no significant difference between cities. Physical attributes (i.e., playgrounds, sports fields, green spaces) were most desired among all groups. In New York, Latino parents had a strong preference for Experience attributes (i.e. safety, safe facilities, cleanliness) which differed from other groups. Future research should examine how neighborhood context may influence parent preferences related to parks and children’s physical activity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Baquero ◽  
Jose-Luis martínez ◽  
Angela Silva-Novais ◽  
Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán ◽  
Laura Martínez-García ◽  
...  

Allogeneous selection occurs when an antibiotic selects for resistance to more advanced members of the same family. The mechanisms of allogenous selection are (a) collateral expansion, when the antibiotic expands the gene and gene-containing bacterial populations favoring the emergence of other mutations, inactivating the more advanced antibiotics; (b) collateral selection, when the old antibiotic selects its own resistance but also resistances to more modern drugs; (c) collateral hyper-resistance, when resistance to the old antibiotic selects in higher degree for populations resistant to other antibiotics of the family than to itself; and (d) collateral evolution, when the simultaneous or sequential use of antibiotics of the same family selects for new mutational combinations with novel phenotypes, generally with higher activity or broader spectrum. Note that in some cases, collateral selection derives from collateral evolution. In this study, examples of allogenous selection are provided for the major families of antibiotics. Improvements in minimal inhibitory concentrations with the newest drugs do not necessarily exclude “old” antibiotics of the same family of retaining some selective power for resistance to the newest agents. If this were true, the use of older members of the same drug family would facilitate the emergence of mutational resistance to the younger drugs of the family, which is frequently based on previously established resistance traits. The extensive use of old drugs (particularly in low-income countries and in farming) might be significant for the emergence and selection of resistances to the novel members of the family, becoming a growing source of variation and selection of resistance to the whole family. In terms of future research, it could be advisable to focus antimicrobial drug discovery more on the identification of new targets and new (unique) classes of antimicrobial agents, than on the perpetual chemical exploitation of classic existing ones.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C Masefield ◽  
Alan Msosa ◽  
Jean Grugel

Abstract BackgroundAll countries face challenging decisions about healthcare coverage. Malawi has committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, the timeframe set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As in other low income countries, scarce resources stand in the way of more equitable health access and quality in Malawi. Its health sector is highly dependent on donor contributions, and recent poor governance of government-funded healthcare saw donors withdraw funding, limiting services and resources. The 2017 National Health Plan II and accompanying Health Strategic Plan II identify the importance of improved governance and strategies to achieve more effective cooperation with stakeholders. This study explores health sector stakeholders’ perceptions of the challenges to improving governance in Malawi’s national health system within the post-2017 context of government attempts to articulate a way forward.MethodsA qualitative study design was used. Interviews were conducted with 22 representatives of major international and faith-based non-government organisations, civil society organisations, local government and government-funded organisations, and governance bodies operating in Malawi. Open questions were asked about experiences and perceptions of the functioning of the health system and healthcare decision-making. Content relating to healthcare governance was identified in the transcripts and field notes and analysed using inductive content analysis.ResultsStakeholders view governance challenges as a significant barrier to achieving a more effective and equitable health system. Three categories were identified: accountability (enforceability; answerability; stakeholder-led initiatives); health resource management (healthcare financing; drug supply); influence in decision-making (unequal power; stakeholder engagement).ConclusionsHealth sector stakeholders see serious political, structural, and financial challenges to improving governance in the national health system in Malawi which will impact the government’s goal of achieving UHC by 2030. Stakeholders identify the need for improved oversight, implementation, service delivery and social accountability of government-funded service providers to communities. Eighteen months after the introduction of the policy documents, they see little evidence of improved governance and have little or no confidence in the government’s ability to deliver UHC. The difficulties stakeholders perceive in relation to building equitable and effective healthcare governance in Malawi have relevance for other resource-limited countries which have also committed to the goal of UHC.


Author(s):  
Sarah B. van Mastrigt

A notable proportion of crime is committed in company, particularly during youth, but relatively little attention has been paid to the influence of co-offenders on criminal decision making. This chapter reviews current theory and research on co-offending as it relates to three aspects of offender decision making: the decision to (co)-offend, the selection of accomplices, and choices shaping the characteristics of the criminal event (planning, target selection, and seriousness). Both implicit and explicit decision making are considered, as well as situations in which the offense is premeditated and collaboration is explicitly sought after a plan has been made and situations in which the motivation to offend develops in a group of preformed individuals who become co-offenders by committing the act. The chapter concludes with a discussion of gaps in the current evidence base and directions for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Chen ◽  
Qiang Bai

Infrastructure assets, serving everyone’s daily life, are an essential foundation of any society. Their management faces a wide range of challenges. Hence optimization methods are increasingly applied to assist making management decisions in infrastructure asset management (IAM). A large number of articles apply a broad range of optimization methods in their decision making (DM) and achieve great results. However, they mainly focus on individual methods and a comprehensive knowledge, given the broad range of optimization methods, is hardly discussed. Hence it is valuable to analyze and graphically present the existing knowledge on this subject. This paper, based on a total of 337 articles, provides an overall review of the applications of optimization when making management decisions in IAM, with the intension of enhancing the optimization application and method selection and guiding the future research in this field. More specifically, this paper introduces the application process of optimization when assisting DM in IAM, summarizes the previous application research, and discusses the popular optimization methods applied in DM in IAM. According to the literature review, this paper confirms optimization can effectively assist DM in IAM and a wide range of optimization methods are applicable to assist a variety of DM problems. The recommendations on the applications and selection of optimization methods in the context of IAM are also made to facilitate the applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Bruce ◽  
Wendy Hall ◽  
Lucy Francis ◽  
Charlotte Mills ◽  
Sarah Berry

AbstractInteresterified (IE) saturated-rich fats are widely used to replace partially-hydrogenated fats as hard fats with functional properties needed for spreads/margarines, baked goods, and confectionary, while avoiding the health hazards of trans fats. However, the amount of IE fat consumed and their predicted pubic health impact relative to other application-appropriate fats is unknown. We investigated current intakes of IE fats and the dietary impact of substitution of IE with functionally-equivalent replacement fats using observational data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) (years 5–6 (2012–2014), n = 2546) and technical manufacturing data from a UK IE fat supplier. The major sources, types and quantities of IE fat intake were calculated for the total population and different age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.IE fat contributes 3.4% of total fat and 1.1% of % total energy intake (TEI) (range 0–10.3%), with 19–64 yr old males consuming 1.1% and females 0.9% TEI from IE fats. 19–64 yr old quartiles of TEI intake were: 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.2%. The 65 yr + age category consumed the most IE fat (1.5% Energy), followed by 11–18 yr (1.2%) and 19–64 yr (1.0%). TEI from IE fats was 1% for high-income households, 1.1% for the middle-income group and 1.2% for the low-income group. White individuals consumed more energy from IE fat (1.2% TEI) than all other ethnic groups (0.7% TEI).The main sources of IE fats in the UK are from retail spreads (margarines); 54.2%, baked goods; 22.1%, biscuits; 7.7%, non-dairy creams; 5.9% and confectionery; 5.6%. Palmitic/lauric acid-rich IE fats, formulated from palm and palm kernel oils, account for 70% of IE fat consumed. Reformulation of the largest contributor to IE intakes (spreads) to remove IE fat, but retain the same functional characteristics, increased the saturated fatty acid (SFA) composition from 22% to 37%, 25% to 36%, 39% to 42% in three most commonly consumed spread formulations. Replacement of IE fats with non-IE alternative formulations would increase population SFA intake by 0.3% of TEI.IE fats contribute a small but important amount to the fat intake of the UK population. Removal of IE fat would result in an increase in SFA intake which may have public health implications. Previous research has not focused on the most commonly consumed IE fat blends identified (Palmitic/lauric rich), therefore a re-prioritisation of future research work is recommended to assess the potential impact of IE fats consumed by the UK population.


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