Ramapo College

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether differences exist between young American and Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework is formulated based on five constructs: independent self-construal (INDE), attitude toward green advertising, self-expression and brand-familiarity to measure purchase intention. Data were collected from 266 Americans and 199 Japanese consumers. The structural equation model was used to test and compare hypothesized relationships between the proposed constructs for the two countries. Findings The results reveal that the moderating effects of self-construal patterns on brand familiarity and self-expression help explain Americans' green consumption decisions. The results from the US sample also confirm that both self-construal patterns guide young Americans' green consumption behaviors. Japanese green consumption behaviors are influenced by their dominant interdependent self-construal. They used a context-dependent thinking mode to process advertising and brand information. Research limitations/implications Using Gen-Z consumers may limit the generalizability of this study. The results may not be representative of or applicable to other demographic groups. As age was controlled in this research, similar studies need to be replicated with various segments of green consumers to validate the relationships identified in this study. In addition, to raise the external validity of this research, future researchers may replicate this study by comparing countries other than the two under examination in this study. Practical implications For practical implications, marketing communication programs may focus on social interaction strategies by using content or influencer marketing on social media to raise brand awareness. To appeal to Americans' self-expressive values, brand communication may focus on a personalized message that conveys the positive image of green product users. Use both traditional media and digital media to engage with Japanese consumers. To appeal to Japanese collectivist values, the ad message may emphasize the positive effects of the brand and its products on contributing to the well-being of society. Social implications This study detects no evidence of an increase in individualism in Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. The results show that consumers' attitudes and behaviors toward green marketing cues are consistently guided by their dominant self-construal patterns and situational factors could activate either self within their self-schema. This also supports the notion that aspects of culture are changeable depending on varying situations. Originality/value This study provides evidence that self-construal types influence young American and Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. This is the first research to demonstrate that brand-familiarity can be a group identifier for consumers with different cultural orientations.

This study examines the impact of Scoreboard for Excel, an automated grading tool with real-time feedback, in undergraduate business statistics. Compared with three prior semesters, students using Scoreboard consistently outperformed earlier cohorts. Gains occurred regardless of integrity controls, prior statistics, or Excel experience. Contrary to expectations, even when assignments were identical, students did not gain from cheating. These results suggest Scoreboard not only raises achievement but also reduces incentives for dishonest shortcuts, with a “leveling effect” that helps less experienced students match their peers.

This article presents an innovative experiential learning exercise designed to engage undergraduate students in the complex challenges of sustainable fashion. The exercise employs a role-playing simulation that immerses students in stakeholder negotiations, fostering a deep understanding of the multifaceted issues surrounding sustainability in the fashion industry. Grounded in stakeholder theory and environmental ethics and aligned with the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) i5 Playbook, the activity encourages students to explore the tensions between economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity. Participants assume roles representing key stakeholders, and through structured rounds of position development, policy negotiation, and evaluation, students grapple with real-world challenges that help develop critical thinking skills, enhance their understanding of stakeholder management, and gain practical experience in collaborative problem-solving. This exercise contributes to management education by offering a hands-on approach to teaching sustainability concepts, preparing future business leaders to navigate the complexities of implementing sustainable practices in a global industry.

Options to combat bacterial infections are becoming scarce. We require innovative approaches to enhance the discovery of effective antimicrobials capable of combating bacteria resistant to multiple or all antibiotics. These methods should either directly eliminate resistant bacteria or indirectly influence their viability by inhibiting their virulence or reducing their resistance to antibiotics. One interesting approach is to analyze ancient remedies used to treat bacterial infections, formulate them, and test them against modern microbes. This field has recently been named "ancientbiotics." This approach allows us to leverage centuries of empirical knowledge accumulated, from traditional medicines across various ancient cultures worldwide. The strategy has already yielded promising formulations to combat the ESKAPE group of nosocomial pathogens. Additionally, molecular de-extinction, which involves genome analysis of extinct species to search for useful antimicrobials, such as peptides, offers another avenue. In this review, we compile the antimicrobial effects of ancient remedies and de-extinct molecules known to modern science and discuss possible new strategies to further harness the potential of past remedies and molecules to fight the rise of superbugs.

This study reports a pulsed laser deposition-assisted synthesis of highly metallic titanium nitride (TiN) and a series of semiconducting titanium oxynitride (TiNxOy) compounds in thin film form with tunable plasmonic properties by carefully altering the nitrogen (N)-oxygen (O) ratio. The N/O ratio was controlled from 0.3 (highest oxygen doping of TiN) to ~ 1.0 (no oxygen doping of TiN) by growing the TiN films under nitrogen pressures of 50, 35, and 10 mTorr and high vacuum conditions of 2 × 10−6 Torr with no external gas introduced. The presence of nitrogen in the deposition chamber during the film growth affects the gas phase oxidation of TiN to TiNxOy by increasing the mean free path-dependent N and O inter-collisions per second by two to three orders of magnitudes. The evidence of increased oxidation of TiN to TiNxOy with an increase in nitrogen deposition pressure was obtained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. While the TiN samples deposited in high vacuum conditions had the highest reflectance, TiNxOy thin films were also found to possess high reflectance at low frequency with a well-defined edge around 20,000 cm−1. Furthermore, the vacuum-deposited TiN samples showed a large negative dielectric constant of -330 and the largest frequency of zero-crossing at 25,000 cm−1; the TiNxOy samples deposited in the presence of nitrogen ambient also showed promising plasmonic applications at the near-mid infrared range. A comparison of the dielectric constant and loss function data of this research with the literature values for noble metals seems to indicate that TiN and TiNxOy have the potential to replace gold and silver in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions.