This study was conducted to assess the genetic variability and correlation of phenotypic characteristics in 12 tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes including 11 WorldVeg and one commercial variety (Pusa Ruby) in Terai (plain) region of Nepal in 2021–2022. This experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The phenotypic traits, including days to 50% flowering, plant vigor and height, fruit number/plant, fruit yield, fruit weight and diameter, fruit firmness and fruit pericarp thickness, and total soluble solids (TSS) content of the fruits, were studied. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits except for plant vigor. The genotype of AVTO1705 resulted the highest fruit yield (2.9 kg/plant) than Pusa Ruby, a commercial check (0.5 kg/plant). The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits and PCV values were maximum for the number of fruits, fruit yield, and fruit weight. High PCV, GCV, and genetic advance (GA) were observed for yield, fruit weight, and plant height, respectively, indicating the additive gene effect. High heritability for fruit yield/plant and plant height inferred the phenotypic selection for their genetic improvement. Fruit yield was significantly (P<0.05) positively correlated with the fruit number and fruit weight, and direct selection of these traits are reliable for yield improvement in tomato.

Phytohormones (plant hormones) are a class of small-molecule organic compounds synthesized de novo in plants. Although phytohormones are present in trace amounts, they play a key role in regulating plant growth and development, and in response to external stresses. Therefore, the analysis and monitoring of phytohormones have become an important research topic in precision agriculture. Among the various detection methods, electrochemical analysis is favored because of its simplicity, rapidity, high sensitivity, and in-situ monitoring. Graphene and graphene-like carbon materials have abundant sources, exhibiting large specific surface area, and excellent physicochemical properties. Thus, they have been widely used in the preparation of electrochemical biosensors for phytohormone detection. In this paper, the research advances of electrochemical sensors based on graphene and graphene-like carbon materials for phytohormone detection have been reviewed. The properties of graphene and graphene-like carbon materials are first introduced. Then, the research advances of electrochemical biosensors (including conventional electrochemical sensors, photoelectrochemical sensors, and electrochemiluminescence sensors) based on graphene and graphene-like carbon materials for phytohormone detection is summarized, with emphasis on their sensing strategies and the roles of graphene and graphene-like carbon materials in them. Finally, the development of electrochemical sensors based on graphene and graphene-like carbon materials for phytohormone detection is prospected.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is a persistent aromatic compound widely associated with environmental pollutants. Given its persistence and possible bioaccumulation, exploring a feasible technique to eradicate BDE209 efficiently is critical for today’s environmentally sustainable societies. Herein, an advanced nanocomposite is elaborately constructed, in which a large number of titanium dioxide ( TiO2) nanoparticles are anchored uniformly on two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets ( TiO2/GO) via a modified Hummer’s method and subsequent solvothermal treatment to achieve efficient photocatalytic degradation BDE209. The obtained TiO2/ GO photocatalyst has excellent photocatalytic due to the intense coupling between conductive GO nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles. Under the optimal photocatalytic degradation test conditions, the degradation efficiency of BDE209 is more than 90%. In addition, this study also provides an efficient route for designing highly active catalytic materials.

The synthesis of a novel first stage GIC containing simultaneously lithium, potassium and barium through a solid–liquid reaction by molten salts method is described. Such a route has been largely developed in our laboratory for intercalation of metals into graphite. The interplanar distance of this quaternary compound reaches 950 pm and exhibits poly-layered intercalated sheets defined by X-ray measurements. The Li0.2K0.75Ba0.6C6 chemical formula of the compound is determined by ion beam analysis and this GIC is remarkably homogeneous. This GIC is the first poly-layered one containing barium.

This abstract summarizes an early-stage research proposal examining the benefits of storytelling in marketing green brands. Many research studies have been published in the last decade observing the growth and popularity of sustainable products (e.g., Bhardwaj et al., 2020; de Souza Correa et al., 2022; Haider, Shannon, & Poschis, 2022; Lunde, 2018; Rajogopal, Mahajan, & Priya, 2021; Skackuskiene & Vilkaite-Vaitone, 2022; among many others). Only some of these products offered immediate economic benefits to consumers when introduced. Consumers were skeptical of the sustainability of the products (e.g., Matthes & Wonneberger, 2014), consumers felt the prices were higher than unsustainable products (e.g., Juan, Hsu, & Xie, 2017), and consumers felt that the company was greenwashing (e.g., Cho & Taylor, 2020). However, the story of these businesses imagining a green future was the main driving force in attracting and convincing consumers to switch regardless of the cost and risk involved in the decision (e.g., Moshood et al., 2022). Getting exposed to these exciting stories, consumers want to join and be part of them by purchasing green products. For example, when sustainable Toyota Prius and Tesla cars were first introduced, there were more economical and best-performing cars in the crowded US market (i.e., Toyota.com, 2023; Tesla.com, 2023). However, unlike conventional combustion engine cars, they had a story to tell. Then, and today, the companies sell the imaginary of a green and sustainable future for humankind. It is the same with the sustainable apparel brand, Patagonia, which has gained popularity throughout the years (Patagonia.com, 2023). Their products are expensive compared to their unsustainable competitors. However, consumers are willing to pay the price to be a part of the story that the brand narrates, promising a more sustainable future.

This paper investigates how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in services may potentially have a negative impact on consumer wellbeing due to the fear of being replaced by AI. Drawing on temporal self-appraisal theory, the study proposes that the fear of being replaced by an AI agent (as opposed to a human) has a negative effect on consumers' psychological wellbeing. The research suggests that this fear negatively affects consumers' perceptions of self-continuity, and that self-continuity perceptions mediate the relationship between fear of AI replacement and psychological wellbeing. Furthermore, the study explores how the type of task intelligence replaced by AI, whether thinking or feeling tasks, moderates the effects of AI on self-continuity and wellbeing.

Crowding is widely observed in various tourism contexts. Compared with natural scenic areas, theme parks have concrete boundaries and are physically, economically, or culturally separate from the surrounding area, it also brings problems with carrying capacity and visitor management. Data shows that China has become a critical theme park market, and crowding has become a major problem for theme park operators in China. This study examined the effects of human crowding on visitors' emotions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions using the M-R model as a framework. The investigations were conducted in Shanghai Disneyland and Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, 295 and 410 valid questionnaires were collected respectively.

The interest in the study of organizations’ ambidexterity (i.e., the capacity of combining organizational explorative and exploitative capabilities) entails expectations associated to its conceptual value and practical implications related to high-performing companies and long-term survival. In parallel, it is relevant to understand organizational ambidexterity under the marketing lenses, in particular, looking at the notion of co-creation and service-dominant logic. This study addresses the effects of organizational ambidexterity on organizational co-creation and evaluates whether these dynamics are different in SMEs and Large companies. We further assess how they contribute to the enhancement of firms’ performance. To the endeavor, we develop and empirically test a conceptual model.

With the evolution of Artificial intelligence (AI), emotional artificial intelligence service agents (AISA) have become common in service industry. However, how artificial empathy of AISA contributes to customer acceptance remains an open question. This study draws on Anthropomorphism Theory and Customer AI Experience Theory to examine whether and how artificial empathy has influence on customer acceptance of AISA. Evidence from three experiments (N=1057) designed by the Experimental vignette method (EVM) shows that: (1) artificial empathy including perspective-taking, empathic concern and emotional contagion has a positive impact on customer acceptance of AISA (study 1); (2) customer AI experience (emotional experience quality, social experience activation and social experience quality) mediates the relationship between artificial empathy and customer acceptance of AISA (study 2); (3) artificial empathy for hedonic (vs. utilitarian) services leads to a stronger effect on customer acceptance of AISA (study 3). This paper enriches our understanding of artificial empathy and provides practical guidance for practitioners strategically managing AISA services in AI-enabled marketing interactions.

To reduce food waste at the retail and personal consumption stages, discounts are offered in retail channels to encourage consumers to buy goods that are less attractive or close to their expiry dates. While discounts can encourage consumers to accept and purchase suboptimal foods, previous studies find that low prices or price discounts will make consumers produce positive or negative perceptions of product values. Consumers may increase their purchase intentions due to price concessions, but will think that price reductions are caused by quality degradation and thus reduce their purchase intentions. Additionally, the literature rarely explores the interaction between original prices of suboptimal products and discount presentation modes. This study thus contends that the interaction between original prices of goods and discount types will lead to significant differences in consumers' attitudes and purchase behavior toward suboptimal products. For research goals, this study employed a full factorial between‐subjects experiment designed with 2 original prices (High and Low) × 2 discount presentation modes (Discount percentage and Discounted price). An anonymous web-based questionnaire posted on the popular PTT forum and in Facebook and Instagram related communities is used to collect the data, and then a total of 328 valid questionnaires were finally collected. The findings indicate that attitudes and purchase intentions toward suboptimal food with a low original price is significantly higher than that of a high original price. Among the interaction effects, the means of attitudes and purchase intentions on the level of the low original price of suboptimal foods presented by discount percentage are higher the other three types. For the high original prices of suboptimal foods, the means of attitudes and purchase intentions on the level of discounted price are higher than for discount percentage. Based on these findings, this study demonstrates that consumer attitudes and purchase decision-making toward suboptimal foods are shaped by original prices and discount presentation modes. In Asia-Pacific countries such as Taiwan, consumers are price-sensitive but once a food item belongs to the category of suboptimal foods, their perceptions of discounts become different. Consumers’ attitudes toward that food and their willingness to buy may be moderated by the high or low original price of suboptimal food with the levels of discount presentation mode. Thus, based on the analysis and results of this study, we offer fresh findings and make both theoretical and managerial contributions to the related field of suboptimal food marketing and price discounts.

In recent years, advances in the digital and live streaming economy have led to exponential growth in the number of self-employed streamers who have become an integral part of the self-driven digital labor force. However, previous research on the impact of streamers' work time arrangements on their virtual gifts remains scarce. To fill this gap in the literature, using large-scale data from Kuaishou live streaming platform, we demonstrate that several features of streamers' work time have an important impact on their virtual gifts. Specifically, our results suggest that work time duration and timing improve streamers' virtual gifts; meanwhile, work time tempo has an adverse effect on streamers' earnings. Taken together, our results provide novel and actionable insights for millions of self-employed streamers, agencies, platforms, and policymakers.

At a time when research on service failure and recovery is at a crossroads in terms of growth and relevance (Grégoire and Mattila 2021), this research studies an original context - the French manga market - in which the service providers behind the failure successfully decide not to be the recovery actors.

While social media marketing opens a variety of new windows for enlightening brand–customer relationships, a gritty puzzle is that brand recognition does not invariably echo with customers’ perceived value. This provokes the need to uncover the missing pieces in bridging the gap between brand recognition and customer perceived value. This research falls within the innovative new work in the marketing literature in positing co-creation as a crucial mediator in facilitating the impact of brand recognition on customers’ perceived value. Based on social identity theory, we also investigated how co-creation is moderated by virtual communication identification in influencing customers’ perceived value towards a brand. We conducted a survey via a sample of 386 current Gogoro customers. Gogoro is the biggest and most well-known Taiwanese producer of electric scooters. Our findings contribute to the extant marketing research by emphasizing that the key stimulus of increased customer perceived value towards a brand is active co-creation initiatives via virtual brand communities, and that the effects of co-creation are further strengthened when customers’ virtual communication identification is high.

Customer engagement has been a focus of a significant amount of research. Most of the prior research on customer engagement typically focused on engagement and loyalty in loyalty program context, while the impact of rewarded customer engagement on program members has largely been missed out. Additionally, no prior study yet has focused on the conceptualization of rewarded customer engagement, while exploring and comparing its significance on various digital platforms, such as loyalty programs and Metaverse. Thus, this study aims to conceptualize rewarded customer engagement while investigating its impact on loyalty program members, and whether it induces and/or encourages their engagement in brand’s Metaverse platform(s).

This research demonstrates that consumers with high (vs. low) usage of social networking sites (SNSs) prefer NFTs representing a partial but the only digital piece (vs. one of the limited digital copies) of artwork. NFT uniqueness is identified as the psychological mechanism underlying the SNS usage effect on NFT preference.

A new high-tech product - lab grown meat (LGM), has been gaining media attention while initiating public discourse on social media (SM) platforms. This netnographic study is based on a dataset of selected SM public posts, comments and discussions collected during 30 days in early 2023. The findings indicate that LGM is highly contradictory, while not being fully understood how it is produced or when it will become commercially available. The findings indicate that this novel food requires carefully designed marketing strategies: when naming a new product category; must allow transparency and sensibly explain all product’s attributes; and invest time and efforts to educate consumers, leading to higher adoption rates when launched on mass consumer markets, as an alternative to conventionally grown foods.

A new type of food created in laboratories – lab grown meat (LGM) is an alternative to traditional animal farming and attracting attention of media, industry experts and consumers. Why is this new product so controversial? It is claimed that cell-based meat production is more environmentally friendly, ethical and sustainable than traditional methods that involve animals. Hence, being less harmful and potentially slowing down environmental degradation that leads to climate change. However, consumers have concerns regarding product quality, sourcing of cells used for production and use of growth serums. So many differing views are present, even before LGM is introduced as a marketable product. This paper examines what drives public discourse regarding how this new industry can be regulated, technology and how social media posts, fake news and publicly available rhetoric address consumer concerns and consumer acceptance regarding this new food category.

Over the last decade, the COBRAs have attracted the attention of researchers in relation to their motives or outcome for the brand. However, the corpus of literature on COBRAs still is at a nascent stage and has created new opportunities pertaining to knowledge development. Undoubtedly, there is a clear need for some structure through mapping the research terrain to guide future research and further its development. Thus, a systematic review methodology was performed producing a top-quality pool of 35 papers that forge a robust understanding of this phenomenon. This research is the first study to perform a systematic review to examine the literature on COBRAs. Based on this, the findings contribute to theoretical knowledge, with extensive opportunities for generating novel theory and new forms of marketing practices.

Voice assistance (VA) has been widely adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry to interact and communicate with tourists and provide useful travel recommendations. Although more companies in tourism have adopted environmental sustainability practices and tourists have increased their sustainability awareness, lack of research has been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of VA in promoting sustainable consumption of tourism products or services. This study proposes that customising environmental sustainability messages for tourists with different cultural orientations and VA use purposes can enhance their engagement with the VA, which can affect their consumption decision. The results from a scenario-based experiment demonstrate that tourists with interdependent/independent cultural orientation have higher engagement with the environmental sustainability messages communicated by the VA when they are with a non-transactional/transactional purpose. Implications for tourism marketing strategies are discussed.