Class of 2009 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to expand the current knowledge regarding opinions about the consequences of DTCA, specifically in terms of their implications for pharmacy practice. We evaluated this by examining student pharmacist attitudes toward DTCA and their perception of its practical ramifications as they progressed through pharmacy coursework. We also compared attitudes of student pharmacists’ with those of practicing pharmacists’ as previously published. METHODS: Students at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, enrolled in their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year of coursework, completed a questionnaire with 16 Likert-scale items soliciting levels of agreement with statements regarding DTCA. Two direct questions about overall support for DTCA and experience with patient questions regarding DTCA were included. Demographic data was also collected. RESULTS: No difference was found between groups of students with respect to attitudinal statements regarding DTCA when analyzed by ANOVA (p>0.05). Similar results were found for overall support for DTCA as analyzed by Chi-square (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in overall support for DTCA between students and pharmacists when assessed by Chi-square (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists are more likely to not support DTCA, whereas student pharmacists are more likely to be uncertain of whether or not they support it. An obvious difference between these groups is practice experience, which probably increases exposure to DTCA. Though it is difficult to discern the cause of this difference in opinion, it may suggest a link between experience and attitudes toward advertising policy.

This study intended to examine the effects of Direct-to-Consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA). Looking specifically for the behavioral effects that exposure to DTCA had on consumers, data was collected about respondents’ actions after seeing or hearing an advertisement for a prescription drug. Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Uses and Gratifications demonstrated the potential psychological factors at play throughout consumers’ decision making process. Advertising congruence with media use was an important aspect of the study as well as grasping respondents’ perception of behavioral control with regard to requesting prescription drugs from their doctor. A small portion of this study examined how physician prescribing behavior was affected by DTCA. / text

RESUMÉ The concept of an average consumer in Czech and European law The aim of this diploma thesis called "The concept of an average consumer in Czech and European law" is to describe current trends in conceptualization this term. Methods used in this diploma thesis to achieve the defined objectives are the analysis of Czech and European legislation and both Czech and Communitarian case law. There were used monographic and comparative methods too. The initial part of the thesis describes the terms consumer and the average consumer are affected by secondary Communitarian legislation and case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union as well as by the case law of courts of the European Union members states. Another aim of the diploma thesis is to highlight that the model of average consumer needs to be viewed differently depending on in which area of economic competition it is currently located at. It is subjected to diverse claims in various areas. This was proved by several judicial cases. The function of the model of average consumer is to be a substitute for all consumers. Consumers' protection is provided through this model. As it is important to emphasize, the average consumer is just a model and does not strictly remain a legal person. The case analysis and comparisons led to the definition of...

1 The concept of an average consumer under Czech and European law RESUMÉ: The thesis is focused on the role of a so called average consumer under the law of unfair competition; namely concerning advertising and misleading labelling. The concept of an average consumer is being analysed under written law as well as in jurisprudence. The Czech and European laws are emphasized but other legal systems are also mentioned. A description of a current situation and history of the concept are accompanied by considerations de lege ferenda. Mainly the term consumer is being criticized as not quite suitable within the context of unfair competition. Unlike under the contract law, here the consumer does not represent an acting entity but a target or a prey. The current trend of weakening consumer's position-and therefore exaggeration's easing in advertising-is also criticized. Generally speaking, the advertising as such is being denounced; in particular because it harms the consumer and thus it is buck passing to speak about a consumer's protection while protecting and helping a competitor in reality. The thesis deals with practical impacts of misleading labelling on a consumer (and/or a competitor). According to its own methodology, it divides the misleading labelling into three categories: promotional, unsatisfactory...

The thesis is focused on the analysis and subsequent identification of consumer behavior especially in the Russian Federation. It is divided into seven chapters, where the first chapter describes the historical aspects of consumer behavior research and presents the basic trends in behavior of the consumers in modern society. Further, the main factors that influence consumer behavior are identified and stages of purchasing decision process are described. This thesis approaches the concept of perception of advertising and examines consumer behavior in marketing systems. The last chapter focuses on specifics of consumer behavior in the Russian Federation. It identifies different types of consumers in Russia, structure of Russian society and the feaures of the Russian perception of advertising.

Although direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, content analyses (Baird-Harris, 2009; Frosch, Krueger, Hornik, Cronbolm, & Berg, 2007; Kaphingst, DeJong, Rudd, & Daltroy, 2004; Wilkes, Bell, & Kravitz, 2000) and other studies (Davis, 2000, 2007) have suggested that advertisers may not disclose drug risks to the same extent that they describe drug benefits. This study builds on previous studies by Baird-Harris and Smith and Shaffer (2000) and aims to test the relationship between image congruency in televised DTC advertisements, recall of risks and benefits, and perceived ad persuasiveness. Advertisements for Nexium, Advair, and Lunesta were shown to college students in either their original (i.e., image incongruent) or modified (i.e., image neutral) form. In general, risks were easier to recall with image neutral advertisements (which were considered to be less persuasive), although results were not statistically significant. Gender had a significant interaction effect, suggesting that males and females process risks differently depending on images in a DTC advertisement. Despite its lack of significant findings, this study explores an underdeveloped area of research and provides a model for future studies.

While a significant amount of research has been produced in Canada on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in general, very little work has been undertaken specifically with regard to the role of social media and emerging Internet technologies. While Health Canada has reaffirmed that existing DTCA regulations apply to new Internet and social media technologies, there are several unique features of these technologies that make the application of existing regulations an uncertain process. Further, given the difficulties Health Canada has faced in directly regulating DTCA in traditional media, there is significant skepticism around whether government regulators have the resources or political will to effectively monitor new digital media. Consequently, independent third party oversight and industry self-regulation may play an important role in regulating digital channels. Finally, regulators should not simply be limited to regulating online DTCA; social media is equally available to government for use in health promotion.

While a significant amount of research has been produced in Canada on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in general, very little work has been undertaken specifically with regard to the role of social media and emerging Internet technologies. While Health Canada has reaffirmed that existing DTCA regulations apply to new Internet and social media technologies, there are several unique features of these technologies that make the application of existing regulations an uncertain process. Further, given the difficulties Health Canada has faced in directly regulating DTCA in traditional media, there is significant skepticism around whether government regulators have the resources or political will to effectively monitor new digital media. Consequently, independent third party oversight and industry self-regulation may play an important role in regulating digital channels. Finally, regulators should not simply be limited to regulating online DTCA; social media is equally available to government for use in health promotion.

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There are many differentiated product industries in which firms offer multiple products in the same market. In making strategic decisions regarding entry, quality and quantity to be supplied for their multiple products firms must consider the competition with rivals as well as cannibalization of their own products that are close substitutes. In this setting, understanding the relationship between the behavior of consumer demand and firms decisions' regarding product characteristics and strategic variables like advertising are fundamental issues in industrial organization. This dissertation empirically explores these fundamental issues in the pharmaceutical and airline industries. The first paper of my dissertation estimates consumer demand for different anti-cholesterol drugs using panel data on a nationally representative sample of individuals who were diagnosed with cholesterol problems in the period 1996-2002. The data provides detailed information on individuals' medical conditions, medical and drug insurance coverage, drug purchases (if any), and other demographic and medical information. Individuals choose whether to purchase an anti-cholesterol rug and, if so, which drug to buy. The model permits flexible substitution patterns among drug choices and persistence in those choices by incorporating both observed and unobserved consumer heterogeneity. The estimates suggest that lower income patients without prescription drug insurance are very price sensitive: they are less likely to use drugs and, if they do use them, they tend to purchase the less expensive drugs. I find that roughly 500 thousand individuals without drug insurance who are currently not purchasing anti-cholesterol drugs would do so in the counterfactual world in which they are given the standard co-payment plan. The second paper also looks at consumer demands for anti-cholesterol drugs. While the first paper focused on the differentiated products, this paper explores the market expansion effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The study combines the individual data used in the first paper with monthly expenditure data on DTCA for the period 1996-2002. The dynamic demand model estimated in this paper explores the heterogeneous effects of DTCA. Overall, I find a positive effect from DTCA with short term elasticity of 0.107. Through persistence in consumer demand this effect lasts over multiple time periods. I find that individuals not taking a cholesterol drug respond more to advertising than those on the drug. In addition, I find that less educated individuals, those that may be unaware of their health condition, and those without health insurance are most responsive to DTCA. Finally, the third paper studies the effect of product ownership and quality on entry in the airline industry. Specifically, this paper empirically examines the decision of an airline to offer high quality nonstop service between cities given that the airline may or may not be offering lower quality one-stop service. I find that airlines that offer one-stop service through a hub are less likely to enter that same market with nonstop service than those that do not. In addition, the quality of the one-stop service is another determinant of entry. Airlines are more likely to enter a market with nonstop service if their own or their rival's one-stop service in the market are of lower quality. / text