Conceptualizing Usage in Voting Behavior for Political Marketing: An Application of Consumer Behavior

Political marketing has borrowed and adapted many terms from mainstream marketing, such as image management (segmentation, targeting, and positioning) and consumer (voter). In marketing, the terms “user” and “usage” have been established, yet their application to political marketing is less clear. This paper analyzes the feasibility and usefulness of usage in the political context. Drawing from the literature on usage, a model is developed and applied to four voting environments: Britain, Australia, Russia, and Belarus. One critical factor that emerges is the concept of choice, whereby the voter may chose to indicate their preference for one party yet be forced to use a different party as chosen by collective choice. Another issue is the potential for habitual voting behavior to limit decision making. It is concluded that usage needs to be contextualized specifically for political marketing.     

Online penny auctions and the protection of the consumer under EU law

This paper examines online penny auctions, which currently attract consumer traffic but pose consumer risks also. It discusses pressing questions such as whether they are scams, entertainment shopping or gambling. It shows that though they cannot readily be considered as scams, they are suspiciously risky for consumers. Moreover, contrary to what penny auctioneers suggest, they do not allow for consumer shopping. They also share several characteristics with gambling and therefore, the possibility of legally classifying them as such is worth exploring. If they are not gambling, consumer protection legislation is fully applicable to them and can satisfactorily protect penny consumers. If penny auctions are legally classified as gambling however, protection will greatly be enhanced; they will (additionally) be subjected to strict and detailed gambling laws at least in the UK, where a mature gambling regulatory regime exists. Certain disadvantages of labeling penny auctions as gambling can relatively easily be remedied through suitably adjusting gambling laws. The paper concludes by suggesting possible approaches of legal regulation of this new online phenomenon.     

金融消费者权益保护法律问题研究

从金融消费者基本概述出发,论述了金融消费者保护的现实意义,并借鉴了美国、日本等外国金融消费市场与金融消费者权益保护的经验,对完善我国金融消费者保护制度提出了立法建议。     

保证保险二元性思辨及其法律适用

从一种抽象概念演变为我国消费领域中较为普遍的商业动作行为,保证保险的出现及其发展仅仅经历了短暂的近十年时间,然而对于保证保险性质的混乱认识及立法上的空白,直接导致对保证保险关系当事人之行为无法进行统一规范和调整,笔者认为,保险公司以其保险人身份介入消费信贷关系中与保证人身份进行兼容,从而为各方当事人及司法实践提供了对信贷风险可选择的两种救济模式,并以此区别并优越于单一保证模式,并本着私法自治、司法权被动性之精神为保证保险纠纷公正合理地解决对保证、保险双重模救济模式进行了理性选择。     

Buy Today,Pay Tomorrow: Formal Credit Supply and Domestic Electrical and Electronic Goods Consumption in São Paulo's Urban Periphery

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, expansion of the formal credit supply in Brazil has promoted the ‘financial inclusion’ of the low-income population, especially through instalment plans offered by large retail chains. This article aims to analyse the impacts of formal credit availability on the consumption of electrical and electronic goods by residents of Jardim Helena, a neighbourhood in São Paulo's periphery. Through the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, this study reveals how the instalment plan can stimulate consumption among the low-income population, with a significant impact on household budgets, raising the risk of indebtedness.