Perspective Chapter: Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19, the viral pneumonia seen in China towards the end of 2019, was declared a global pandemic in March 2020 since it spread almost all over the world. While such pandemic situations that are concerned with public health cause a sense of insecurity, confusion, loneliness and stigmatization among individuals, it can result in economic losses, closure of workplaces and schools, insufficient resources for medical needs and inadequate satisfaction of needs in societies. The economic crisis, which is one of the most important problems in pandemic periods, and the concomitant uncertainties can also cause suicidal thoughts. As a result, how the society responds psychologically during epidemics has an important role in shaping the spread of the disease, emotional difficulties and social problems during and after the epidemic. It often appears that no resources are allocated to manage, or at least mitigate the effects of epidemics on psychological health and well-being. In the acute phase of the epidemic, health system administrators prioritize testing, preventing contagion and providing patient care, but psychological needs should not be disregarded either.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE MARKETING COMPLEX OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE

This article considers the issues on improvement of marketing complex of industrial enterprise, with the purpose of stabilization of its activity and strengthening of competitive positions. It is proposed to improve the activities of industrial enterprises on the basis of the formation of measures that will ensure the current support of domestic enterprises in difficult economic conditions. One of the ways of improving the performance of the company is to change the model “4P” into a model of marketing complex “5P” and use personnel (“Personal”) as one of the tools. On the basis of the conducted research the influence of external environment factors was evaluated on the basis of the model of the marketing complex “4P”. As a result, it was found that the surveyed company has low competitive advantages, but these competitive advantages may not be valid without preservation of highly qualified personnel, because of the instability of the activities of the company, constant differences in production, simple, reduction of workers or voluntary migration of manpower and as a result of the loss of highly qualified workers and the position of the leader in the field of machine building. The evolution of the marketing complex depending on the influence of factors of the marketing environment is examined. The application of the marketing complex not only contributes to satisfaction of needs of potential organizations in the framework of target markets, but also allows maximizing the efficiency of industrial enterprises’ activity. Practical relevance of the research carried out in the article lies in the fact that using recommendations and directions of upgrading the marketing complex of industrial enterprise will ensure stabilization of its activity on the market due to the influence of regressive external factors.

A study on consumer buying behaviour for fashion and luxury brands under emotional influence

Purpose Fashion and luxury brands struggle to make themselves distinguished by ever more apathetic consumers in this highly competitive market. Fashion and luxury retailers can use emotional branding as a way to get their customers involved to address the increasing trend of emotional relationships with a brand to become more competitive. Although brand technology, such as product attributes, characteristics and facts, is unforgettable, personal sensations and experiences better shape brand assessments of consumers. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the dominance of consumers’ emotions over objective analysis in selection among the brands in the field of fashion and luxury products for similar products. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature study has been done to explore the various emotional associations that are identified by the advertising, marketing, psychology scholars and researchers. This study also analyses the relevance of consumers’ emotional associations with the fashion and luxury brands. Various online scholarly journal platforms have been used to find the relevant research papers, books and other publications on the basis of keywords of this study. Only recent studies and literature covering the basic concepts of branding, emotional buying and fashion consumer behaviour have been included after scrutinising carefully. Findings This study illustrates how emotional branding is crucial in a volatile market, particularly for fashion and luxury brands. This study will also be focussed on the possibility in which consumers buy the fashion and luxury products under the influence of emotional needs. The objective of this paper is to inform both consumers and brands about the emotional influence on the buying decision so that both can take better conscious decision. Originality/value Understanding the influence of emotional needs will help fashion brands in creating better customer value and satisfaction. A business or product will be successful only if it is chosen by the consumer to satisfy his needs. Understanding of emotional needs would result in enhancement of consumer’s loyalty for the brand with better satisfaction of needs. As huge part of marketing resources is involved into advertisement and celebrity endorsement, identifying the effective way of advertising and endorsement can help in efficient utilisation of resources.

Formation and provision of cultural needs of modern human

The purpose of the article is an analysis of the current condition of formation and provision of cultural needs of modern humans. The methodology of the study is based on an interdisciplinary approach comprising analysis and synthesis, generalization, description. The scientific novelty of the results lies in the complex review of human cultural needs; the role of family, social and cultural institutes, and mass media is defined; the main problems influencing the cultural needs of modern Ukrainians are described. Conclusions. Modern people live in a fundamentally new society that requires deliberate satisfaction of needs. Cultural needs and the ways of their satisfaction, cultural products that a person consumes define its personality. The cultural needs of the 21st century should create striving for self-perfection and transformation of the world. The key role in the process is played by family, media, and social institutes. The governments should support the production and consumption of cultural products, providing wide access for their citizens and comprehensive satisfaction of their needs. Considering cultural products as intellectual achievements and at the same time, consumer products related to the market rules make it possible.

The Forgotten Ones: Crafting for Meaning and for Affiliation in the Context of Finnish and Japanese Employees' Off-Job Lives

In an intensifying working life, it is important for employees to proactively shape their lives beyond work to create opportunities for satisfying personal needs. These efforts can be beneficial for creating and sustaining well-being in terms of vitality. In this study, we focused on off-job crafting (OJC) for meaning and OJC for affiliation, conceptualized as proactive changes in off-job life with the aim of increasing satisfaction of needs for meaning and affiliation, among employees in Finland and Japan, two countries with disparate cultural values. We examined longitudinal within-person relationships between the two OJC dimensions and vitality, as well as the relationships between OJC and contextual variables, such as age and gender. We conducted a longitudinal study over 6 months with three measurement points. A total of 578 Finnish and 228 Japanese employees participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested with latent growth analysis. Increases in OJC for meaning and for affiliation were mostly positively related to increases in vitality over time in both countries. In Finland, age was positively related to OJC for meaning. In Japan, age was negatively related to OJC for meaning, but the female gender was positively related to OJC for affiliation. Focusing on increasing meaning and affiliation in off-job life can be beneficial strategies for employees to feel positively energized. The role of contextual variables and culture in OJC should be examined further in future studies.

Subjective satisfaction and objective electricity poverty reduction in Vietnam, 2008–2018

PurposeThe authors estimate the reduction of electricity poverty in Vietnam. The essential argument is that human development is about subjective feeling as much as technology and income.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a self-reported satisfaction indicator as complementary to objective indicators based on national household surveys from 2008 to 2018.FindingsIn 2010, the fraction of households with access to electricity was over 96%. However, over 24% declared their electricity use did not meet their needs. Since 2014, the satisfaction rate is around 97%, even if 25% of the households used less than 50 kWh/month. Today there is electricity for all in Vietnam, but electricity bills weigh more and more in the budget of households.Practical implicationsThe subjective energy poverty measure allows better international statistics: unlike poverty or needs-based criteria, self-assessed satisfaction of needs compares across income levels and climates.Social implicationsInequalities in electricity use among Vietnamese households decreased during the 2008–2018 period, but are not greater than inequalities in income, contrary to the findings of Son and Yoon (2020).Originality/valueEngineering and econometric objectivist approaches dominate the literature on sustainability monitoring. Out of 232 sustainable development goal (SDG) indicators, only two are subjective. Yet the findings show that subjective indicators tell a different part of the story. Access is not grid building, but the meaningful provision of electricity to satisfy the needs.

Innovation potential of region’s economics tranformation on the basis of partnership and interaction

The article regards the essence of region’s economics transformation on the basis of partnership and interaction. It points out that region’s economics transformation is connected with the concept of partnership and interaction which presupposes maximal satisfaction of needs of regional economics on the basis of organic mutually beneficial long-term interaction of main “actors” of regional markets and partnership interrelations among them; that in its turn will foster implementation of interests of region, each participants and solution of common regional problems. Innovation potential is determined by capacity of regional economics subjects to implement and disseminate the achievements of science and technology in social and economic spheres, develop organizational forms of innovative activity, manage the activity of subjects involved in creative, inventive, rationalization, licensing, educational activity. It also determines the impact of innovation potential to transformation processes in the region.

FORMATION OF THE MARKET FOR SAW BOARDS IN RUSSIA XVIII CENTURY

The article is devoted to the history of sawn timber dispensing in Russia. The new kind of material appeared for the satisfaction of needs, which had not existed earlier. Then other ways of usage were performed. At last the outlet was partly affectedly formed to encourage the new technology. The usage of sawn timber from one side was determined, from the other side determined the development of Russian trade, water- and land-transport, house-building and everyday life.

Modus Operandi in the Investigation of Crimes

The article studies such a concept as modus operandi in the practice of crime investigation as a unique and integral behavior for the criminal. It is determined by the modus operandi through a correlation with personal landmarks, mental and physical state, level of intelligence and other individual characteristics of the criminal’s personality. The use of this concept along with the method of committing a crime is justified. The issues of modernization and improvement of the modus operandi as a necessary given of the development of criminal activity of each individual are discussed. The autograph is considered as an additional characteristic element of the modus operandi, which allows you to see the “criminal message” that characterizes the personal qualities of the criminal. The author substantiates the need to pay attention to repetitive, albeit modernized, details in the sequence and the actions of the criminal themselves, since in similar situations the behavior is stereotypical. Having worked out the ideal modus operandi for himself, which leads to the satisfaction of needs, the criminal is afraid of its rejection, as this may lead to capture. Accordingly, the study of modus operandi helps in identifying the perpetrator, combining crimes into a series through the characteristics of personal stability and predictability. This makes it possible to solve not only the crimes committed, but also to prevent the criminal acts that are being prepared.