Local Marketplace Research Articles

Recent Auction of Tanintharyi Coinage Sheds Historical Light on Myanmar Region

Since January 2019, Stephen Album Rare Coins of Santa Rosa, California (USA), a numismatic dealer specializing in Islamic and Asian coinage, has auctioned a major collection of the large tin-lead coins and weights of the Tanintharyi region of Myanmar (formerly known as Tenasserim). This unprecedented assemblage of 125 specimens has offered students of Myanmar numismatics a unique opportunity to study these coins, as today’s on-line auctions provide quality digital photography unavailable in the past. This article introduces the reader to these coins by first reviewing the existing literature, beginning with European accounts from the seventeenth century and ending with the latest archaeological research papers addressing these coins. It will then examine seven select specimens from the Stephen Album auctions, several of which are previously unreported, that provide insights into Tanintharyi culture and communities from the seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries. This analysis will identify the only Tanintharyi coin discovered so far with a certain date and will examine a possibly mischaracterized date in another. It will also propose a translation of a previously misrepresented Tanintharyi coin and close with conclusions regarding the time period during which these coins were made, their economic function and the cultural contexts they may illuminate. The article reaches three major conclusions: 1) the manufacture and use of these coins began in the early seventeenth century and continued into the nineteenth century; 2) they functioned in local Tanintharyi economies and marketplaces and not in higher value trade between entrepots; and 3) they were issued by both official and private parties, with both entities utilizing cultural icons and traditions, rather than official titles or references, to generate acceptance of this medium of exchange.

The railway and modernization in Quito: A dramatic change between 1905 and 1922 by Wilson Miño Grijalva

Reviewed by: Ferrocarril y modernización en Quito: Un cambio dramático entre 1905 y 1922 [The railway and modernization in Quito: A dramatic change between 1905 and 1922] by Wilson Miño Grijalva J. Justin Castro (bio) Ferrocarril y modernización en Quito: Un cambio dramático entre 1905 y 1922 [The railway and modernization in Quito: A dramatic change between 1905 and 1922] By Wilson Miño Grijalva. Quito: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, 2018. Pp. 79. Ferrocarril y modernización en Quito: Un cambio dramático entre 1905 y 1922 [The railway and modernization in Quito: A dramatic change between 1905 and 1922] By Wilson Miño Grijalva. Quito: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, 2018. Pp. 79. Wilson Miño Grivjalva's Ferrocarril y modernazición en Quito is a welcome addition to a growing number of historical works about transportation and urban development in parts of Latin America that have received little attention by historians to date. Miño Grivjalva is by no means the first person to examine how railways and urban development have intertwined, but few people have done so about Quito, the capital of Ecuador. His main objective is to show how the trans-Andean railway between the port city of Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador's interior capital, excited municipal officials to expand modernization campaigns focused on public works. Consisting of an introduction, three short chapters, and a conclusion, this brief book is a revised version of Miño Grijalva's master's thesis. It leans heavily, perhaps a little too heavily, on contextualizing Quito's modernization schemes through secondary works authored by historians José Kuis Romero, Jean-Paul Deler, Sofía Luzuriaga, and historical anthropologists Kim Clark and Eduardo Kingman. The book's first chapter provides a generalized exploration of the global context of modernization in Latin America during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century. Modern public works projects moved slowly in Quito, in part because the city lacked rapid communication with the rest of the world via the ocean, something that the railway changed. In addition to providing greater access to global trade, the railroad also further solidified a national market. Miño Grivjalva covers familiar discussions about Latin American export economies—cocoa and coffee in the case of Ecuador—and foreign investment. He portrays Ecuadorians as uncritically incorporating foreign experts and technologies, which runs counter to most of the works published recently in the United States about the history of technology in Latin America. They tend to emphasize contested perspectives and projects, local innovation, and hybrid adaptations. Good examples are Beyond Imported Magic (MIT Press, 2014), edited by Eden Medina, Ivan da Costa Marques, and Christina Holmes, and monographs such as Eve Buckley's Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil (University of North Carolina Press, 2017), Rocio Gomez's Silver Veins, Dusty Lungs (University of Nebraska Press, 2020), and Diana Montaño's Electrifying Mexico (University of Texas Press, 2021). [End Page 628] Miño Grivjalva argues in his second chapter that the railway did not begin modernization campaigns in Quito, but it did amplify trends underway. He writes that the resulting projects were collaborations between national and local officials, business owners, and bankers, but he emphasizes the municipal actors. Specifically, he focuses on Quito cantonal council president Andrade Marín. Marín held several positivistic and progressive ideals common to reformers across the western world at the turn of the twentieth century. He promoted hygiene measures, systematic streets and communications grids, and increased access to water. The railway made these projects easier to complete by providing easier access to new building materials such as cement, iron, and glass. This access also provoked increases in the manufacturing of textiles, foodstuffs, and beverages. The majority of Miño Grivjalva's original contributions are in his final chapter, where he uses municipal records to examine the expansion of potable water, the modernization of local marketplaces, the installation of toilets, the ordering of streets, the distribution of vaccines, and the growth of gas-powered vehicles, telephones, lighting, and electric trams. As Miño Grivjalva shows, local...

The evolution of pathways linking main streets and marketplaces to home-based business locations in Hanoi, Vietnam

ABSTRACT This paper explores the spatial complexities of Hanoi’s urban form, with a focus on the evolution of the pathways linking the front door of individual households engaged in home-based income-generating activities, and the local main streets and marketplaces that provide opportunities for commerce. The pathway is an overlooked spatial element in existing urban studies, despite its critical importance in urban dwellers’ everyday lives. At the city scale, a space syntax methodology is employed to examine the changing configuration of the street network in Hanoi across five historical periods. The analysis simulates the distribution of human movement across the network, highlighting the natural formation and changes to major economic hubs. The formation, evolution, and spatial character of these pathways are then examined at the neighbourhood scale, by employing three-dimensional mapping and semi-structured on-site interviews with Home-Based Business owners. The paper extends existing understandings of how urban form influences citizens’ economic well-being.

‘She just does not fit in here’: Identity, politics of appearance and aesthetic labour in Turkey’s retail landscapes

This study looks into the politics of appearance in the retail sales labour market for women in Turkey and explores how norms of ‘being presentable and fashionable’ prevailing in different retail landscapes map onto intersections of class, status and the fault lines of Turkey’s identity politics. In an attempt to understand how such norms are constructed, this article employs the discussion on aesthetic labour and focuses on the aesthetic labour requirements in large-scale retailers selling or competing with global brands, small-scale retailers and tesettür retailers. The article relies on data derived from participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted with saleswomen and employers in different retail landscapes in five cities of Turkey between 2009 and 2012. The study suggests that large-scale retailers and shopping malls require retail workers to convey an appearance and deportment that fits in with globally circulating images of what is taken to be ‘normal’, middle class and fashionable, leading to the exclusion of saleswomen with headscarves as they are perceived to manifest a particularity and deviation from a normalized middle-class identity. On the other hand, in tesettür chain stores competing in the area of global veiling fashion, the headscarf is usually a requirement as a part of the globally relevant, Islamic middle-class image that retail workers are expected to embody. The norms of aesthetic labour in both kinds of large-scale retailers differ sharply from small-scale retailers, where embodying local gendered norms, and the ability to manage relations in local marketplaces surface as the most salient requirements from retail saleswomen.

Urban Slavery in Colonial Mexico: Puebla de los Ángeles, 1531–1706

Urban Slavery in Colonial Mexico: Puebla de los Ángeles, 1531–1706

Plastic toys and child care articles as a source of children exposure to phthalates and other plasticisers in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Phthalates are chemical compounds added to plastic materials to provide flexibility. They are used in numerous consumer products including children’s toys and child care articles. Exposure to phthalates is linked to reproductive and developmental disorders in addition to endocrine disruption effects. This study is the first to investigate the presence and levels of phthalates and other plasticisers in children’s toys and child care articles sold in the Saudi market. Twenty-seven products were obtained from local marketplaces and analysed by GC-MS for the levels of the six regulated phthalates dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-(2-ethylhexl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). Other plasticisers and plastic additives were investigated qualitatively for potential risks. Overall, 19% of products tested were found to have one or more regulated phthalates exceeding the 0.1% w/w regulatory limit. All noncompliant items were made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In contrast, the 16 non-PVC items tested were compliant with regulations. Among the 11 PVC items tested, 45% were noncompliant. DEHP was detected in all 11 PVC products, with concentrations ranging from <LOQ-32.2% w/w, and with concentrations exceeding regulatory levels in 4 of 11 PVC products (36%). The other regulated phthalates detected in PVC products were DBP and DINP with amounts that ranged from <LOQ-0.275 and 0.218–14.2% w/w, respectively. Plasticisers other than the regulated ones were present in a number of products; including dioctyl isophthalate (DOIP), di(isononyl) cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH), methyl stearate, acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). Inexpensive children’s toys were found to be less complying with the regulations of toys safety regarding phthalates content, which may pose more risk to children.

Model Marketplace Berbasis Kearifan Lokal

This study aims to create a market model based on local wisdom so that the marketing activities of small businesses can run effectively. To prove the effectiveness of digital marketing media in the form of a marketplace, research subjects are needed, namely small businesses involved directly with online marketing, interview approaches, and their success rate in using digital media (marketplaces). Through this research, it is expected that small businesses can choose wisely and effectively the use of digital media (marketplaces) in their marketing activities so that their sales turnover can increase. The study took the location or object of research in the city of Banda Aceh. Considering that consumer behavior in the city of Banda Aceh is different from one another, of course, it must be measured and tested, whether the market model based on local wisdom can be applied and has a significant relationship to increase marketing activities and product sales of business actors. This type of research uses descriptive qualitative research, data analysis in the field of the research model and method is carried out by interviewing several SMEs and local marketplace users in the city of Banda Aceh. The sample in this study is small business practitioners who actively use the marketplace for the past two years in the process of marketing and selling their products in the online market. From the results of the non-random sampling, 173 respondents were generally employed, who were small businesses. Data collection techniques using interview and questionnaire models, and the analysis model used here is the Crosstabs Test. Based on the results of surveys and interviews with several business actors, it was found that there is a marketplace model based on local wisdom that has a very significant relationship in increasing the income of small businesses marketing and selling their products online in Banda Aceh City. Keywords: Marketplace, Small business actors, Local Wisdom

Young adults in Poland – the coming of age of a generation of responsible food consumers?

Purpose: The aim of the study was to diagnose attitudes and consumption behaviors among the young adults, regarding food consumption in Poland. Design/methodology/approach: 483 respondents took a part in the research. They were students of three Cracovian universities, representing all voivodships in Poland. The research instrument consisted of two types of questions: traditional closed survey questions and a series of projection questions, based on fictional characters, which the respondents had to assess and determine the degree of identification with the attitudes and behaviors described. Findings: The research revealed some akrasia. The relatively high level of awareness regarding the effects of unsustainable production and consumption of young adults did not translate into consumption behavior of a sustainable nature. The curiosity regarding origin of the product and its composition turned out to be low, as was the feeling of responsibility for their own decisions. There was a tendency to expect the transition of responsibility to food producers and the institutional environment. Young adults pay special attention to food prices and easy access to shopping. Local marketplaces are a niche shopping place. The majority of food is purchased in large-area stores, where consumers are not informed about the place of origin of food. The respondents group is characterized by high outside-diagonality, solutions forcing more sustainable behavior, for example, the payment for plastic bags, the need for recycling of waste meet with wide acceptance. Originality/value: The research revealed enforcing proecological behaviors by institutions seems to be a more effective than building consumer awareness.

E-commerce Advertising: Does the Traditional Advertising Elements Still Relevant?

The substantial growth of beauty products’ demand from both domestic and export markets has made beauty product become one of the important sectors of economy in Malaysia. On top of continuously introducing new beauty product to the marketplace, advertising of new beauty products is another important mechanize to ensure new product success in the competitive business environment. Recently, e-commerce of beauty product is emerging rapidly in the local marketplace. E-commerce serves as the platform for both online advertising (or namely e-commerce advertising) and online purchase. In addition, the success of e-commerce (which commonly measure in term of customers purchase intention) is very much dependent on the elements of e-commerce advertising. As such the aim for this study is to assess does the traditional advertising elements still stay relevant to e-commerce advertising of beauty product. In conjunction with this, the study explores the relationship between e-commerce advertising elements (which are medium credibility, entertaining celebrities association, quality features of product, advertising frequency, brand image and informativeness) and consumers’ online purchase intention of beauty products in Malaysia. The study is quantitative based, data was collected from 260 females between age of 18 to 25 years. Preliminary data analysis was done to assess the normality and reliability of the data, followed by analysis of correlation via Pearson correlation test. Analysis result from Person correlation suggested within the scope of the population under study, three traditional advertising elements still stay relevant to e-commerce advertising of beauty product, which are brand image, quality features of the product and informativeness of advertising.

Effect of Press Construction on Yield and Quality of Apple Juice

The paper presents the possibility of applying different press constructions for juice extraction in small farms. The research was carried out with three different varieties of apples, namely, Rubin, Mutsu, and Jonaprince. Two types of presses were tested: a basket press and a screw press. Generally, application of the screw press makes it possible to obtain a higher yield of extraction compared to the basket press. In our study, the differences in the pressing yield among press machines also depended on the apple variety used. The juices obtained on the screw press were found to be of a higher quality characterized by a higher content of soluble solids, higher viscosity, higher total content of polyphenols, higher antioxidant activity, and lower acidity. Thus, the selection of an appropriate press is the key to producing high-quality apple juice with health-promoting properties for manufacturers of apple juice at the local marketplace.

Quantity Measurement Cost and Reliability of Cereal Commodity Trade: Evidence from Ethiopia

Measurement reliability is an undervalued aspect of local agricultural marketplace organizations. There are also gaps in identifying the extent of cereal commodity trade measurement costs. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to estimate the magnitude of cereals trade quantity measurement cost caused by instrument error and unreliability in the context of the local marketplace in Ethiopia. In this regard, a survey was conducted in six different districts’ marketplaces (n = 602) of Oromia regional state. In addition to administered structured questionnaires, site mass measurement calibration was employed. The survey data were analysed using an independent samples t-test, one sample t-test and analysis of variance. According to the findings, the actual value measurement means of the quantity of most local units of the farmers were greater than small traders. The independent t-test result indicated that the average values of the quantity of the majority of units of measurement between farmers and small traders were varied significantly. Estimated average measurement cost of the farmers and small trader which occurred due to measuring instruments’ error and unreliability were higher for a sack, bowl and glass units compared with other units of measurement. This study demonstrates that homogeneity in measurement, market regulatory policy and institutions that aid cereals trade have an indispensable role to reduce measurement costs thereby ensure equitable exchange.

E-Entrepreneurship for E-Startups: Potentials, Common Challenges and Way Forward

In today’s economic world, the advancement in technology has opened up new forms of economic activities, particularly business. Whilst entrepreneurship is a major factor in business, e-entrepreneurship has become a buzzword facilitated by the rapid advancement of internet and developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). E-entrepreneurship, in the name of transforming business from the local marketplace to the global one, has revolutionized the entire business processes. This set of new business mechanism has created new opportunities for the startups, which in this regard is termed as e-startups. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the concept of eentrepreneurship by addressing related potentials and challenges. Extant literature has been reviewed to this end. The analysis indicated that flexibility of and accessibility to technology and products, less capital and risk in comparison to physical businesses are the major advantages that an e-entrepreneur might enjoy while commencing an e-startup. On the other hand, lack of institutional support, digital security threat, tough competition with established brands, less innovation and lack of academic and practical exposure in terms of business and marketing are some barriers that challenge the operation of e-startups. The conclusion of the paper draws on some recommendations accordingly.

Cereal Commodity Trading in Ethiopian Local Marketplace: Examining Farmers’ Quantity Measurement Behaviors

Local marketplaces are remarkable organizations for agricultural product transactions in Ethiopia. However, little is known concerning measurement practices in these micro-trading zones. Thus, this study intended to examine the cereal commodity quantity measurement behaviors of farmers in the local marketplaces of Ethiopia. A survey was conducted in four districts marketplaces (N = 382) of the Oromia Region. The χ2 test was employed to evaluate the association between farmers’ perception of the accuracy of local units and measuring instruments related to immoral buyers’ behaviors. According to the findings, farmers’ cereals quantity measurement behaviors proved the presence of unreliability which created transaction, measurement, social capital, and two-hand palm cereals gift costs. The χ2 test results indicated that farmers’ perceptions of the accuracy of local units and measuring tools related to buyers’ unethical behaviors had significant relationships with bowl, glass, sack, and can local units, except for weight balance in Dendi and Bako Tibe, and for cans in the Gimbichu area. This study demonstrates that standardization of tools and measurements, together with institutional support, would have a huge potential for economizing transaction costs and making equitable cereals exchanges and efficient markets.

STRATEGIC PEASANT AND AUTONOMOUS LOCAL MARKET: REVISITING THE RURAL ECONOMY IN MODERN CHINA

Depending on conditions, Chinese peasants strategically adopted one of two types of transactions: either a single one-time transaction without reference to any particular buyer, or repeated transactions dependent on one regular broker. Based on the different sizes of market zones and responding to seasonality, Chinese peasant households allotted their labour to maximize income and avert risk. Generally, in early modern China, the volume of exchanges among peasants was much greater than the volume of exchanges between peasants and merchants from towns. One-time transactions were dominant not only by the choice of peasants for concluding local transactions but also by the petit traders who connected villages and towns. Thus, price movements in local currencies such as copper coins in local marketplaces did not follow the movements of inter-regional trade made in silver. Maintaining the independence of local trade, local merchants established a system for settlements through account books and issued native notes to respond to chronic shortages of currency. In Japan, peasant households showed similar characteristics of seasonal allocation and division of intra-household labour, but in the nineteenth century were less dependent on local marketplaces and maintained more continuous relationships among villagers as well as with merchants from towns. The differences between China and Japan during the early modern era, when economies depended heavily on small-size peasant households with less specialization, reveals the inadequacy of conventional conceptions of markets such as Smithian growth, which ignore the differences between local trade and inter-regional trade, and underestimate the importance of proximate exchanges among peasants, which reflected their desire for a higher degree of freedom when making transactions.

Institutional differences and integration difficulties

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the location of a firm’s headquarters and component sourcing impact a firm’s responsiveness in a product-harm crisis in local market.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data on 1,251 vehicle recalls from 12 manufacturers, six in the USA, three in Germany, and three in Japan. All of the recalls occurred in the USA between 2002 and 2010. The time the product was first released into the marketplace was used as the starting point while the time the recall was initiated (if at all) was used to record the probability of the product recall over time. Specifically, a survival analysis with an accelerated failure time model was employed to examine the speed with which a product is recalled. The authors examined the impact of foreign composition using information provided by the American Automobile Labeling Act, which lists the proportion of each vehicle that is composed of domestic parts (USA/Canada) and foreign parts. Organizational characteristics (i.e. size, market share, assets, net income, and reputation) and recall size (i.e. number of affected vehicles) that might have an effect on time to recall were controlled for.FindingsThe authors found that firms headquartered outside the local market would take longer to issue a product recall than firms that were headquartered in the local market. Firm headquartered outside the local market can reduce the time taken to recall by sourcing parts from the local marketplace, rather than from abroad. Interestingly, even local firms are affected by the location of component sourcing, such that they take longer to issue a recall if they sourced parts from abroad.Originality/valueResearch in international marketing has examined the benefits of integration to firms, but has not studied the risks of integration. By highlighting the challenges of managing institutional differences and integration difficulties, the authors show that location of headquarters and the location from where components are sourced have an effect on firm responsiveness in product-harm crises. Further, the authors build on the global supply chain management literature that has shown the effect of upstream activities (i.e. foreign production) on downstream activities (i.e. product quality). Specifically, the authors show that upstream activities can not only affect product quality, but also the ability of firms to respond to those product qualities in a timely fashion.

Framing hybrid exchanges in subsistence contexts

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of subsistence exchange practices and their contribution to international marketing theory and practice. It draws on the notion of embeddedness to examine the hybrid exchange practices unfolding within subsistence communities, and between subsistence communities and (international) firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports two ethnographic studies conducted in low-income farming and slum communities in Uganda and Kenya, respectively. Both studies involved participant observation, interviews, field note-taking and visual methods.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that hybrid exchange systems prevail in subsistence contexts, supporting both market and non-market logics simultaneously. Actors remain deeply embedded in their social worlds during exchange, making it problematic to disentangle social relations from market exchanges.Research limitations/implicationsThe study suggests implications for international firms interested in forging business partnerships with subsistence actors. It calls for international marketers to surpass the traditional marketing roles and develop competences that enable firms to meaningfully embed in subsistence contexts. Further research could explore how international marketers could develop such competences.Originality/valueThe paper draws from diverse exchange literature to demonstrate how subsistence actors become actively involved in shaping hybrid exchanges that (potentially) incorporate international firms. The study calls for a broader understanding of international marketing, which accounts for the embedded marketing practices entailed in serving subsistence markets. It concludes that categorizing exchanges as either economic or social is problematic as both forms co-evolve to constitute multiple levels of intra-community, local marketplace and extensive hybrid exchanges.

Health education of food handlers in the meat products market

The consumption of meat products without a reliable provenance or good handling practices may result in high risk of diseases to the population. Thus, the health education can be a useful tool for the improvement of sanitary conditions of the meat products market. This study is intended to evaluate the efficiency of an educational activity towards the improvement of the quality of products offered in butchery. A public opinion survey regarding the quality of meat products in local marketplaces has been provided via Electronic Form. Moreover, an educational lecture for 24 establishments (food handlers and owners) has been given, with a pre- and post-knowledge evaluation. The establishments were classified as Bad, Regular or Good via in loco sanitary inspection through checklist. The public survey exposed the concerns of the population regarding the sanitary risks in meat products consumption. The food handlers/owners evaluation indicated a good previous knowledge, along with enrichment in the topic after the lecture. Through the inspections, an improvement in sanitary conditions has been verified after the educational activity. In conclusion, health education contributes to the reduction of risks in the meat product market.

Analytical Determination of Nicotine and Tar Levels in Various Dokha and Shisha Tobacco Products.

In the Middle East, there is no precise data and literature on tobacco-based products, such as dokha and shisha. The proposed study aims to quantify the levels of nicotine and tar in different kinds of dokha and shisha products that are sold in the local marketplace. The amount of nicotine in dokha and shisha products can be quantitatively determined using a combination of the "kissling" and "silicotungstic acid" method proposed by Robert M. Chapin. The tar residue from the smoke sample was collected on a glass wool placed before the stopcock (tap) of a separatory funnel as the smoke passes through the inlet of an electronically controlled vacuum pump. The nicotine levels in dokha and shisha samples ranged from 23.83 to 52.80 mg/g and 0.80 to 20.52 mg/g, respectively. The nicotine level varies between different tobacco products. It varies from 0.5 to 19.5 mg/g in cigarettes, from 10.3 to 23.1 mg/g in snuff tobacco, from 11 to 18 mg/g in electronic cigarettes and from 2.9 to 16.6 mg/g in chewing tobacco. The tar levels in the dokha and shisha samples ranged from 21.6 to 45.02 mg/g and 1.68 to 11.87 mg/g, respectively. Smokers are at a high risk of getting lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and coronary artery disease owing to the high levels of nicotine and tar present in dokha and shisha tobacco products. These findings contradict the widespread belief among teenagers that dokha and shisha tobacco products are safer alternatives to cigarettes.

Authenticity analyses of Rhizoma Paridis using barcoding coupled with high resolution melting (Bar-HRM) analysis to control its quality for medicinal plant product

BackgroundRhizoma Paridis (Chonglou) is a commonly used and precious traditional Chinese medicine. Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis (Franch.) Hand. -Mazz. and Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara are the two main sources of Chonglou under the monograph of Rhizoma Paridis in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In the local marketplace, however, this medicine is prone to be accidentally contaminated, deliberately substituted or admixed with other species that are similar to Rhizoma Paridis in shape and color. Consequently, these adulterations might compromise quality control and result in considerable health concerns for consumers. This study aims to develop a rapid and sensitive method for accurate identification of Rhizoma Paridis and its common adulterants.MethodsDNA barcoding coupled with high resolution melting analysis was applied in this research to distinguish Rhizoma Paridis from its adulteration. The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) barcode was selected for HRM analysis to produce standard melting profile of the selected species. DNA of the tested herbal medicines was isolated and their melting profiles were generated and compared with the standard melting profile of P. polyphylla var. chinensis.ResultsThe results indicate that the ITS2 molecular regions coupled with HRM analysis can effectively differentiate nine herbal species, including two authentic origins of Chonglou and their seven common adulterants. Ten herbal medicines labeled “Chonglou” obtained from a local market were collected and identified with our methods, and their sequence information was analyzed to validate the accuracy of HRM analysis.ConclusionsDNA barcoding coupled with HRM analysis is a accurate, reliable, rapid, cost-effective and robust tool, which could contribute to the quality control of Rhizoma Paridis in the supply chain of the natural health product industry (NHP).

Gig Economy and the Future of Work: A Fiverr.com Case Study

Twenty years ago, Google became the first web search engine to help people find things on the Internet. Today, people use Google to help organize the infinite data found on the Internet and to find things such as logo designs, business copywriting, promotional videos, or even information on astrology. With the technological advancements of the past decade, these services are found not only at the local marketplace but also in the global marketplace — a workplace of freelancing challenges in a gig economy. The term “gig economy” is clarified in a detailed analysis of one largest freelance websites, Fiverr.com. This case study starts with valuable reviews from a variety of authors about this new economy. Fiverr is the target for analysis regarding growth of the gig economy, and with that growth, there are also opportunities for Fiverr’s competitors. This study includes a PESTLE analysis, Competitive analysis, as well as SWOT analysis of Fiverr and its competition. The results are significant, because the conclusions can better assist scholars and practitioners about how to better utilize freelance services from firms such as Fiverr, found in the gig economy.