Historians and social scientists analyzing the contemporary world unfortunately have too little contact and hence miss some of the ways that their interests overlap and the research of one field might benefit another. I am, therefore, extremely grateful that the Journal of Consumer Research has invited me to share with its readers an overview of my recent research on the political and social impact of the flourishing of mass consumption on twentieth-century America. What follows is a summary of my major arguments, enough to entice you, I hope, to read A Consumers' Republic (Cohen 2003), in which I elaborate on these themes. Although this essay is by necessity schematic, the book itself is filled with extensive historical evidence and is heavily illustrated with period images. In tracing the growing importance of mass consumption to the American economy, polity, culture, and social landscape from the 1920s to the present, I in many ways establish the historical context for your research into contemporary consumer behavior and markets. I hope you will …

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A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America

Partly as a side effect of the "Decade of the Brain," general readers with an interest in science have been afflicted with a surfeit of books about the brain from writers of curiously varied backgrounds. This one, with its garish title and disjointed assortment of 18 chapters, is by the distinguished codiscoverer of the structure of DNA. Some work is required to tease out of the disorderly text the two main components of the book. One of them, the better, consists of an account of current knowledge and trends of thinking about neural structure and function, with special emphasis on the cortical visual system of the higher mammals. The other component, appearing irrepressibly in bits and pieces throughout the book, as well as in longer passages, consists of a mixture of Crick's zealous and uncritical Newton-or-bust ways of thinking about the relation of consciousness to brain and an insouciant polemic,

The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul

BACKGROUND
The health benefits of organic foods are unclear.


PURPOSE
To review evidence comparing the health effects of organic and conventional foods.


DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE (January 1966 to May 2011), EMBASE, CAB Direct, Agricola, TOXNET, Cochrane Library (January 1966 to May 2009), and bibliographies of retrieved articles.


STUDY SELECTION
English-language reports of comparisons of organically and conventionally grown food or of populations consuming these foods.


DATA EXTRACTION
2 independent investigators extracted data on methods, health outcomes, and nutrient and contaminant levels.


DATA SYNTHESIS
17 studies in humans and 223 studies of nutrient and contaminant levels in foods met inclusion criteria. Only 3 of the human studies examined clinical outcomes, finding no significant differences between populations by food type for allergic outcomes (eczema, wheeze, atopic sensitization) or symptomatic Campylobacter infection. Two studies reported significantly lower urinary pesticide levels among children consuming organic versus conventional diets, but studies of biomarker and nutrient levels in serum, urine, breast milk, and semen in adults did not identify clinically meaningful differences. All estimates of differences in nutrient and contaminant levels in foods were highly heterogeneous except for the estimate for phosphorus; phosphorus levels were significantly higher than in conventional produce, although this difference is not clinically significant. The risk for contamination with detectable pesticide residues was lower among organic than conventional produce (risk difference, 30% [CI, -37% to -23%]), but differences in risk for exceeding maximum allowed limits were small. Escherichia coli contamination risk did not differ between organic and conventional produce. Bacterial contamination of retail chicken and pork was common but unrelated to farming method. However, the risk for isolating bacteria resistant to 3 or more antibiotics was higher in conventional than in organic chicken and pork (risk difference, 33% [CI, 21% to 45%]).


LIMITATION
Studies were heterogeneous and limited in number, and publication bias may be present.


CONCLUSION
The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.


PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
None.

Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives? a systematic review

A Consumer's Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America

The focus of higher education institutions is the preparation of future professionals. To achieve this aim, innovative teaching methods are often deployed, including games and simulations, which form the subject of this paper. As the field of digital games and simulations is ever maturing, this paper attempts to systematically review the literature relevant to games and simulation pedagogy in higher education. Two researchers collaborate to apply a qualitative method, coding and synthesizing the results using multiple criteria. The main objective is to study the impact of games and simulations with regard to achieving specific learning objectives. On balance, results indicate that games and/or simulations have a positive impact on learning goals. The researchers identify three learning outcomes when integrating games into the learning process: cognitive, behavioural, and affective. As a final step, the authors consolidate evidence for the benefit of academics and practitioners in higher education interested in the efficient use of games and simulations for pedagogical purposes. Such evidence also provides potential options and pathways for future research.

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The effect of games and simulations on higher education: a systematic literature review

Simulation as a pedagogical tool: Measurement of impact on perceived effective learning

While collaborative consumption and access-based businesses are thriving in the marketplace, researchers are yet in the process of attaining a comprehensive understanding of consumers’ collaborativ...

Collaborative Consumption Usage in the US and India: An Exploratory Study

Social media usage is pervasive, and brands must manage this channel carefully in order to meet their strategic goals The role of social media influencers (SMI) is progressively becoming crucial for shaping consumer brand attitudes toward the firms’ offerings The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how SMIs can help brands build favorable brand attitudes and thus improve product acceptance and downstream business performance Building upon naive theory, consumer socialization theory and market signaling theory, we suggest that SMI power and SMI perceived source credibility are crucial in influencing consumer attitudes toward the brand Using rich survey data from 231 US social media users on Instagram the research employs confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to access the psychometric properties of the measures and path analysis to test the proposed hypotheses Results indicate that while SMI power is positively related to consumer attitudes toward the brand and perceived SMI expertise and trustworthiness partially mediate that relationship This study contributes to extant literature by demonstrating that SMIs’ role in shaping consumer attitudes toward the brand is a multilevel function of SMI power, partially mediated through SMI expertise and trustworthiness Therefore, it is incumbent on brands to pay close attention to their SMI promotional channel

Can social media influencer (SMI) power influence consumer brand attitudes? The mediating role of perceived SMI credibility

We extend research testing the effects of food color on flavor to a new cultural setting—India. We test color’s effect at three levels: flavor identification, perception, and preference. One hundred twenty-two graduate students at an Indian business school enrolling students from all parts of India were assigned the task of tasting and evaluating an orange-flavored carbonated water. Color at two levels (purple and orange) and label information at two levels (told orange flavor, told grape) were manipulated in a full factorial, between-subjects design. Results confirm that food color affects the consumer’s ability to correctly identify flavor as well as to form distinct flavor profiles and preferences. Food color dominates other flavor information including labeling and taste, though the strength of the effect is less pronounced in this setting. Strategic alternatives for the effective deployment of food color for promotional purposes are recommended.

Lubna Nafees

Papers

Simulation as a pedagogical tool: Measurement of impact on perceived effective learning

Collaborative Consumption Usage in the US and India: An Exploratory Study

Can social media influencer (SMI) power influence consumer brand attitudes? The mediating role of perceived SMI credibility

The Effects of Food Color on Perceived Flavor: A Factorial Investigation in India

Innovative Management Education Pedagogies for Preparing Next-Generation Leaders