ScienceDaily: Internet News

Using science to open way to 'blue economy'

Posted: 18 Nov 2014 09:54 AM PST

New science and software make Belize coastal zone management plan better for people and the environment. With historic expansion of coastal and ocean development, ecosystems like coral reefs and mangrove forests are put at unprecedented risk. Yet, planners often lack good information about how human activities will impact shoreline and ocean habitats now and in the future. This study developed the information the Belizean government sought to make informed management decisions.

Recommendations by other customers significantly influence Internet purchasing behavior

Posted: 17 Nov 2014 10:24 AM PST

The online purchasing behavior of private individuals shopping in their leisure time is heavily influenced by recommendations made by other customers. Customer endorsements, in the form of Facebook 'Likes' for example, have a particularly marked influence on online buying behavior when consumers shop in the afternoon, evening, or at the weekend. There are certain economic theories concerning consumer attitudes to purchasing that, in the view of the researchers, can help explain this phenomenon.