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Purpose This purpose of this study is to develop actionable marketing insights regarding why consumers might elect to purchase vintage products. A concept called consumer pastness is introduced, developed and defined to achieve this end. Consumer pastness demonstrably affected consumers’ perceptions of vintage products’ scarcity and consumers’ propensity to purchase vintage items. When applied inside marketing contexts, consumer pastness may also explain how and why consumers distinguish vintage products that are “of the past” from new and second-hand products. The data suggest that when consumers perceive products are characterized by higher consumer pastness the products will be perceived as scarcer, more desirable and more valuable than new or second-hand versions of the same item. Design/methodology/approach A scale was developed to capture three dimensions that comprise consumer pastness and then a pilot study and two experiments were conducted to test the research propositions. Findings Study propositions were confirmed. Consumers perceive vintage products as scarcer and more desirable than other types of products. Originality/value A novel and useful concept is introduced to the marketing literature inside this study. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate and develop theoretical insights regarding how and why consumers perceive vintage products differently from new and second-hand products. The investigations reported below are also the first to develop practical insights regarding how management might respond to these insights about the role consumer pastness plays.

Video research methods provide a powerful yet accessible way for researchers to observe and theorize entrepreneurial phenomena by analyzing entrepreneurship "in motion." Despite the growing uptake of video data in entrepreneurship research, there is no available overview or analysis of current uses of video research methods, which makes it difficult for interested researchers to grasp its value and possibilities. Our systematic review of 142 entrepreneurship research articles published in leading journals reveals three dominant video research methods: (a) videography of entrepreneurship "in the wild" (such as pitching and other naturally occurring practices); (b) video content analysis using entrepreneur-generated videos (such as crowdfunding and archival videos); and (c) video elicitation in "manufactured" contexts (such as interviews and focus groups, experiments and interventions). Building on these studies, we put forward a research agenda for video-based entrepreneurship research that capitalizes on the unique affordances of video to understand the interactional, embodied, material, and emotional nature of entrepreneurial practice.

Heeding calls to generate a creative synthesis between business history and organisation studies, this article analyses the emergence, institutionalisation and digitalisation of record pooling practices through the lens of institutional work. By developing an ‘analytically structured history’, this article contributes to the field of business history by demonstrating the value of practice and boundary work as organising categories. Practice and boundary work capture the continuous, recursive relations between structure and agency when constructing narrative explanations. It also contributes to neo-institutionalist history by demonstrating the embeddedness of institutional work – the everyday motivations and actions to revise practices and boundaries are shown to be intimately shaped by the conditions and affordances of historically-situated technologies.

With this special issue we aim at furthering the entrepreneurship as practice perspective by grounding the broader and contemporary ‘practice turn’ in social science (Schatzki, Knorr-Cetina, and vo...

Entrepreneurship is widely recognized to play a crucial role in transitioning societies towards sustainability, yet sustainable ventures often have difficulty in attracting talented management employees that are necessary to scale their sustainable opportunities. This study examined 19 qualitative interviews with three interview groups (human resource managers of sustainable ventures, recently hired employees at sustainable ventures, and management professionals looking for employment opportunities) to explain the impediments of attracting management talent and what competitive advantages sustainable ventures may have in the labour market. We discuss how these findings have theoretical and practical implications for scholars and sustainable entrepreneurs by drawing out a number of ways that sustainable ventures may attract management professionals.

Sustainable ventures often lack legitimacy (perceived to be desirable and appropriate) because various stakeholder groups use contradictory institutions (rules and norms) to make their judgements, which leads to there being fewer resources available and higher failure rates. Using an institutional theory framework and a multi-case research design with 15 biofuel ventures operating in the Netherlands, this study asks how sustainable entrepreneurs attempt to gain legitimacy in these circumstances. Analysis reveals that the entrepreneurs use a combination of rhetorical, reconciliatory and institutional change strategies to obtain legitimacy from different stakeholder groups. These findings further our understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial behavior by revealing how and why different legitimation strategies are used in complex institutional environments.

Dying, death, and bereavement do not occur in a social vacuum. How individuals and groups experience these phenomena will be largely influenced by the social context in which they occur. To develop an adequate understanding of dying, death, and bereavement we therefore need to incorporate a sociological perspective into our analysis. This article examines why a sociological perspective is necessary and explores various ways in which sociology can be of practical value in both intellectual and professional contexts. A case study comparing psychological and sociological perspectives is offered by way of illustration.

Reflective practice has become an influential concept in various forms of professional education, for example, in nursing and social work. However, there has been a common tendency for it to be oversimplified in practice, and, furthermore, dominant understandings of reflective practice can themselves be criticised for lacking theoretical sophistication in some respects – particularly in relation to the social and political dimensions of learning and professional practice. This paper therefore seeks to clarify the theoretical underpinnings of reflective practice and to propose developments in relation to the missing sociological elements. It briefly reviews current dominant understandings of reflective practice before proposing developments in the theory base to make it more theoretically sophisticated in general and more sociologically informed in particular. In this way, the foundations for a critically reflective practice are sketched out.

There has been an increasing interest in reflective practice in recent years, but the theory base underpinning it remains relatively underdeveloped. We have seen a move away from essentialist ‘technicalism’ to a more constructivist exploratory approach consistent with existentialist philosophy. This paper therefore explores how existentialism can be used as a more sophisticated and wide‐ranging theory base to underpin the future development of reflective practice.

Undergoing a traumatic experience can be a life-changing event, having a significant impact on individuals, families, communities, workplaces and societies. Traumatology is therefore a complex field of study demanding a sophisticated level of understanding to serve as a theory base. This article explores the potential for existentialist philosophy to make an important contribution to our understanding of trauma and its effects. It presents trauma as an existential injury and explores the psychosocial basis of traumatic experience — that is, conceptualising trauma as having both psychological and sociological dimensions, the combination of which has profound existential resonances. While the theoretical ideas discussed can be applied to trauma at any stage in the life course, this paper focuses in particular on childhood trauma. Consequently, child abuse is used as an example of how trauma can have a significant (and detrimental) effect on identity development, invoking a need for a commitment to trauma re...

Ethics are, of course, a fundamental part of professional practice. There are different philosophical schools of thought relating to ethics and, although there are often degrees of overlap, they are characterized more by difference than harmony. Among these philosophical schools, one school that has received relatively little attention in the professional literature (and a waning level of interest in the philosophical literature) is that of existentialism. This article outlines some of the main points of ethical theory in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the founders of existentialist thought, and Jean-Paul Sartre, the best known of the existentialist thinkers, as well as other contributors to existentialist thought. Possible developments in existentialist ethical theory since the time of Sartre are also sketched out, and these are linked to contemporary social work concerns.

We have witnessed in recent times an increasing emphasis on the need to identify outcomes. This paper explores the significance of this development and relates it to previous work on the subject, notably the long-standing concept of systematic practice. Possible objections to the use of systematic practice (and therefore, by extension, outcome-focused practice) are identified and addressed. Some key implications for practice are identified. The paper seeks to distance outcome-focused practice from the problems associated with managerialism.

In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on employee welfare or, as it is being referred to with increasing frequency, “workplace well-being.” Traditional approaches to such issues have tended to be either medicalized (via occupational health interventions) or individualized (for example, through employee assistance programs—EAPs). This article proposes a broader approach based on the problem-solving perspective of occupational social work. It is argued that such a broader approach offers a sounder foundation for tackling workplace problems and promoting well-being in general and for addressing the challenges of loss, grief, and trauma in the workplace in particular.

Existentialism as a school of philosophy raises important questions about meaning and purpose and other such factors traditionally associated with spirituality. It also raises important questions about death and dying and the finite nature of human existence. As such, it provides a useful platform for developing our understanding of how spirituality relates to experiences of crisis, loss, and grief. This article explores some key existentialist issues, such as the paradox of meaning, the nature of human existence, personal and social identity and authenticity, and relates each of these to the interface between spirituality on the one hand, and crisis and loss on the other.

Since the discovery that activating mutations of the Ras GTPase were associated with 30% or more of human cancers, the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway has been the focus of intense drug discovery effort. Within the new class of molecularly targeted anti-cancer agents progressing through the late stages of clinical development, BAY 43-9006 and PD0325901 have shown considerable promise.

Background: Studies have suggested that inception rates of deliberate self-harm among different ethnic group adolescents are broadly similar. Aims: We set out to study the rates of adolescent self-harm over a calendar year in Ealing - part of West London. Methods: All cases of deliberate self-harm presenting to the A&E department and paediatrics were identified and socio-cultural factors studied. Ethnicity was obtained using self-ascription. Results: A total of 76 cases were identified over one year. Using the at risk population as denominator, no differences in inception rates were noted according to ethnicity. Overdoses were the commonest method used for deliberate self-harm. Conclusions: The similarities between the Asian and white adolescents suggest that some common aetiological factors may be at play. The risk factors may be related to gender rather than ethnicity in this age group.

* Summary: A review of the neglected area of the relationship between loss and grief and the less well-documented areas of discrimination in relation to age, disability and sexuality. * Findings: There is an extensive and long-standing literature base relating to loss and grief. However, the major focus of such work is predominantly psychological and individualistic in its focus. Only recently a solid body of work relating to the sociological dimensions of loss and grief has begun to build up. This new literature has largely followed the pattern of the development of anti-discriminatory practice in social work, with a major emphasis on class, race and gender, and little attention paid to the less well-established forms of discrimination such as ageism, disablism and heterosexism. * Applications: This article explores the relationship between these three forms of discrimination and loss and grief, with a view to establishing the importance of developing a broad-based anti-discriminatory practice in this important area of social work.

Objectives. The authors investigated the effects of cigarette smoking on midlife cognitive performance. Methods. Multiple regression was used to test the association between cigarette smoking and changes in cognitive test scores among male and female members of the British 1946 birth cohort aged between 43 and 53 years. Results. Smoking was associated with faster declines in verbal memory and with slower visual search speeds. These effects were largely accounted for by individuals who smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day and were independent of sex, socioeconomic status, previous (adolescent) cognitive ability, and a range of health indicators. Conclusions. The present results show that heavy smoking is associated with cognitive impairment and decline in midlife. Smokers who survive into later life may be at risk of clinically significant cognitive declines.

• Summary: This article explores models and strategies for developing empowering forms of social work practice with older people. • Findings: Social work with older people has strong roots in a predominantly medical model in which the primary objective is to ensure that care is provided. While social work with other client groups has made major steps forward in developing less medicalized approaches, the work undertaken with older people has seen far less progress. This article examines the differences between a care model and an empowerment model, identifies some of the barriers standing in the way of movement from one to the other and considers ways of responding to such barriers. • Applications: The authors identify strategies for developing empowering forms of practice.

We have previously described the development and initial validation of a telephone administered cognitive test battery (TACT). This report investigates the retest reliability of the TACT battery between telephone administration and face-to-face administration and measures the concurrent validity of the test components against a standard test of cognitive ability, the WAIS-RUK. Data were collected on 27 participants aged 62–63 years. There was a two- to 10-month interval between time 1 (telephone) and time 2 (face-to-face) administration. Intra-class correlation coefficients for telephone versus face-to-face administration of the TACT were satisfactory for all component measures except for ‘object rotation’ and WAIS similarities. There was no evidence of systematic cheating on the telephone-administered test. Tests of concurrent validity showed stronger correlations for the TACT battery components with verbal tests rather than performance tests, as measured by the WAIS-RUK. A few administration difficulties are noted and recommendations for change are outlined. The TACT is a convenient assessment tool with potential for measuring cognitive change in epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Spawning ponds of Florida largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus were fertilized with liquid inorganic fertilizers and either cottonseed meal (CSM) or no cottonseed meal (NOCSM) to evaluate the effects of organic fertilization on largemouth bass fry production, plankton densities, and water quality. Each treatment consisted of eight replicate ponds. All ponds of both treatments were subjected to the same inorganic fertilization regimen. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels were similar between treatments. Morning and afternoon dissolved oxygen levels were significantly lower in CSM ponds than in NOCSM ponds throughout much of the culture period. Levels of total CO2 were significantly higher in CSM ponds than NOCSM ponds. Higher total CO2 concentrations apparently contributed to significantly lower pH levels in CSM than in NOCSM ponds. Phytoplankton biomass preceding crustacean zooplankton density peaks was significantly higher in CSM than in NOCSM ponds. Cladoceran and rotifer densities were ...

Older people are no less prone to experiences of crisis and loss than any other age cohort. Indeed, it could be argued that this group is even more prone to such experiences, although both the therapeutic literature on crisis intervention and the thanatological literature on loss and grief pay relatively little heed to the needs and circumstances of older people. This article therefore seeks to go some way toward redressing the balance by exploring the significance of crisis and loss as part of the lived experience (le vecu) of older people. The arguments presented are set in the context of the need to recognize and challenge the significant role of ageism.

The position of children in the social order can be seen as an ambiguous one. On the one hand, they are highly valued, at a rhetorical level at least, as the basis of the future generation. On the other hand, however, they can be seen to be marginalized and disenfranchised, protected from more aspects of social life than is strictly necessary. This paper explores some of the important issues relating to children’s disenfranchised social position, with specific reference to issues relating to death, dying and bereavement.

The considerable number of major disasters in the last decade have had a significant impact on very many children. Some have been victims, some bereaved, others just generally anxious and frightened by their proximity to, or awareness of such disasters. Additionally, many personal disasters-accidents, illness, family breakdown, and, of course, child abuse-befall children and their caregivers, producing a traumatic, crisis-torn existence for large numbers of children, a proportion of whom will come to the attention of the caring professions. One dimension relatively unexplored in the growing literature on the subject of disaster work is that of the existential or “ontological”. A number of existentialist concepts can help us piece together a picture of this missing dimension. This article explores some of these key concepts to show their applicability to this complex and demanding area of health and social welfare practice. To explore the basic questions of ontology I shall draw on existentialist ...

Background Persistent auditory hallucinations are common, disabling and difficult to treat. Cognitive behavioural therapy is recommended in their treatment though there is limited empirical evidence of the role of cognitive factors in the formation and persistence of voices. Low self-esteem is thought to play a causal and maintaining role in a range of clinical disorders, particularly depression, which is prevalent and disabling in schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that low self-esteem is prominent in, and contributes to, depression in voice hearers. Methods Beliefs about persistent auditory hallucinations were investigated in 82 patients using the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire — revised in a cross-sectional design. Self-esteem and depression were assessed using standardized measures. Results Depression and low self-esteem were prominent as were beliefs about the omnipotence and malevolence of auditory hallucinations. Beliefs about the uncontrollability and dominance of auditory hallucinations and low self-esteem were significantly correlated with depression. Low self-esteem did not mediate the effect of beliefs about auditory hallucinations- both acted independently to contribute to depression in this sample of patients with schizophrenia and persistent auditory hallucinations. Conclusions Low self-esteem is of fundamental importance to the understanding of affective disturbance in voice hearers. Therapeutic interventions need to address both the appraisal of self and hallucinations in schizophrenia. Measures which ameliorate low self-esteem can be expected to improve depressed mood in this patient group. Further elucidation of the mechanisms involved can strengthen existing models of positive psychotic symptoms and provide targets for more effective treatments.

Hand–arm vibration is becoming a major risk in construction, leading both to lost productivity and expensive injury claims. Neil Thompson of Speedy Hire says civil engineers can help by advising on the correct choice of tools, particularly now that independent tool test data is available online.

By mid-1975 the Canadian Parliament will enact one of the most progressive and far-reaching statutes of its kind: a major revision to the Combines Investigation Act of 1889. In addition, a new Foreign Investment Review Act to prevent foreign competition in Canada, and a Canada Development Corporation to establish domestic monopoly and oligopoly structures in a number of industries, will produce a profound but as yet unpredictable effect on Canada's competitive environment.