Liking Product Landscape: Going Deeper into Understanding Consumers' Hedonic Evaluations.

The use of graphical mapping for understanding the comparison of products based on consumers' perceptions is beneficial and easy to interpret. Internal preference mapping (IPM) and landscape segmentation analysis (LSA) have successfully been used for this propose. However, including all the consumers' evaluations in one map, with products' overall liking and attributes' perceptions, is complicated; because data is in a high dimensional space some information can be lost. To provide as much information as possible, we propose the liking product landscape (LPL) methodology where several maps are used for representing the consumers' distribution and evaluations. LPL shows the consumers' distribution, like LSA, and also it superimposes the consumers' evaluations. However, instead of superimposing the average overall liking in one map, this methodology uses different maps for each consumer's evaluation. Two experiments were performed where LPL was used for understanding the consumers' perceptions and compared with classic methodologies, IPM and cluster analysis, in order to validate the results. LPL can be successfully used for identifying consumers' segments, consumers' preferences, recognizing perception of product attributes by consumers' segments and identifying the attributes that need to be optimized.

Reestruturação produtiva e recomposições do trabalho e emprego: um périplo pelas "novas" formas de desigualdade social / Productive restructuring and the reallocation of work and employment: a survey of the "new" forms of social inequality

O propósito do presente artigo consiste em questionar a inevitabilidade dos processos de segmentação e precarização das relações de trabalho e emprego, responsáveis pela inscrição de "novas" formas de desigualdade social que alicerçam o actual modelo de desenvolvimento das economias e sociedades. Visa-se criticar os limites da lógica econômica e financeira, de contornos globais, que configuram um "novo espírito do capitalismo", ou seja, uma espécie de divinização da ordem natural das coisas. Impõe-se fazer, por isso, um périplo analítico pelas transformações em curso no mercado de trabalho, acompanhado pela vigilância epistemológica que permita enquadrar e relativizar as (di)visões neoliberais e teses tecno-deterministas dominantes. A perspectivação de cenários sobre o futuro do trabalho encerrará este périplo, permitindo-nos alertar para os condicionalismos histórico-temporais, para a urgência de se desocultar o que de ideológico e político existe nas actuais lógicas de racionalização e para os processos de ressimbolização do trabalho e emprego enquanto "experiência social central" na contemporaneidade.

The scope of this paper is to question the inevitability of the processes of segmentation and increased precariousness of the relations of labor and employment, which are responsible for the introduction of "new" forms of social inequality that underpin the current model of development of economies and societies. It seeks to criticize the limits of global financial and economic logic, which constitute a "new spirit of capitalism," namely a kind of reverence for the natural order of things. It is therefore necessary to conduct an analytical survey of the ongoing changes in the labor market, accompanied by epistemological vigilance which makes it possible to see neoliberal (di)visions and dominant techno-deterministic theses in context. The enunciation of scenarios on the future of work will conclude this survey and will make it possible to draw attention to both the historical and temporal constraints and to the urgent need to unveil what is ideological and political in the prevailing logic of rationalization and processes to reinstate work and employment as a "central social experience" in contemporary times.

Preferencia de carne bovina con diferentes tipos de modificaciones genéticas en temuco, región de la Araucanía, Chile / Preference for Beef With Different Types of Genetic Modification in Temuco, La Araucanía Region, Chile

Considerando que las actitudes respecto a la biotecnología dependen del organismo sobre el cual se aplica y del tipo de modificación realizada se determinó la importancia del tipo de modificación genética (MG) en la compra de carne bovina en consumidores de Temuco (Región de La Araucanía, Chile) en diferentes segmentos de mercado, mediante una encuesta a 400 personas. Utilizando análisis de conjunto se determinó que el tipo de MG fue más importante que el precio en la compra (66,2 y 33,8%; respectivamente). Mediante análisis de conglomerados jerárquicos se distinguieron dos segmentos principales con diferencias significativas en la importancia de estos atributos. El segmento mayoritario (63,8%) dio alta importancia al tipo de MG, el segundo segmento (28,2%) atribuyó mayor importancia al precio, pero los consumidores de ambos segmentos prefirieron carne de un animal sin MG o de un animal con MG para disminuir el contenido de colesterol y rechazaron la carne de un animal alimentado con granos MG o de animales con MG para reducir el costo de alimentación. Los segmentos presentaron diferencias según el tamaño del grupo familiar, frecuencia de consumo de carne bovina y estilo de vida. Es posible concluir que la ausencia de MG en carne bovina es una condición deseable para los consumidores de Temuco, sin embargo, la totalidad de la muestra encuestada se muestra positiva hacia la carne de un animal MG que presente beneficios para la salud y el 8% acepta carne de un animal alimentado con granos MG.

Considering that attitudes to biotechnology depend on the organism to which it is applied and the type of modification made, a survey was carried out on 400 persons to determine the importance of the type of genetic modification (GM) in the purchase of beef by consumers in Temuco (La Araucanía Region, Chile) in different market segments. Using conjoint analysis it was determined that the type of GM was more important than the price in the purchase decision (66.2 and 33.8%, respectively). Two principal segments were identified by analysis of hierarchical conglomerates, with significant differences in the importance of these attributes. The majority segment (63.8%) attached great importance to the type of GM, the second segment (28.2%) attributed more importance to the price, however consumers of both segments preferred meat from an animal without GM or one with GM to reduce the cholesterol content, and rejected meat from an animal fed with GM grain or subjected to GM to reduce feeding costs. The segments presented differences related to the size of the family group, frequency of beef consumption and life-style. It may be concluded that the absence of GM in beef is a desirable condition for the consumers of Temuco, however the whole sample responded positively to meat from a GM animal which presents health benefits and 8% accept meat from an animal which has been fed with GM grain.