Household production: beyond the economic perspective

The effects on the family of an environment which places high value on economic productivity are considered. The paper emphasizes the importance of the social productivity of families, the management processes which contribute to improvements in economic and social productivity, and the importance of maintaining the social-psychological perspective in family economics. The discussion outlines the resource and value contexts in which household production and its resulting family productivity are evaluated, the various dimensions of family productivity, and the integrative management processes which mobilize resources for conscious achievement of desired quality of life. Social productivity differs from economic productivity in its emphasis on the development of human resources attributes, effectiveness rather than efficiency, process more than product, quality more than quantity, and group rather than individual orientation. The innovative, creative problem-solving process is contrasted to the economic decision process by application to the role and value conflict situations and divergent problems in families. The importance of going beyond the economic perspective of household production in understanding family productivity is essential for scholars of the family.     

RESEARCH MODELLING IMPLICATIONS OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS IN FAMILY MANAGEMENT

The development of family management as a field of study has offered, to date, a number of conceptual frameworks which attempt to explain family behaviour with respect to management activities. Historically, the application of these conceptual frameworks has proceeded without orderly empirical testing. This paper attempts to provide guidelines for the empirical testing of these conceptual frameworks by developing a general research model and suggesting empirical testing procedures. The research issues of the unit of analysis, data availability, variable measurement, simultaneity and functional form are discussed. Suggestions for the future direction and the focus of family management research include the development and testing of measurement instruments for the components of the management process and the empirical testing of a general research model which represents the conceptual frameworks in family management.     

从个体关照到提升家庭整体发展能力：我国家庭发展政策研究综述

随着人口和社会的双重变迁,家庭领域发生了深刻变化,学者纷纷围绕家庭发展政策进行多角度研究,主要包括家庭变迁中的家庭政策、提高家庭发展能力的家庭政策以及家庭发展政策中的路径及框架体系构建等,通过对这些研究进行梳理可知,家庭发展政策的重心已从个体关照向提升家庭整体发展能力转变。因此在未来的政策体系构建过程中,要特别重视并解决家庭凝聚力弱化导致家庭功能的发挥严重受阻、对家庭特别是计生家庭的生命转折期缺乏重视导致家庭发展能力衰弱、低龄幼儿照顾与教育的缺失直接影响家庭的持续发展等关键性问题。     

A holonic framework to understand and apply information processes in evolutionary economics: survey and proposal

Economists unsatisfied with the basic neoclassical assumptions of rational economic actors and economic evolution towards equilibrium states founded the evolutionary economic approach. Their goal was to provide more realistic assumptions regarding economic agents and their institutional environments. The Modern Synthesis (MS), the current conceptual paradigm for biological evolution, was used as a source of inspiration for conceptual development. Along the biologically inspired line of thought, the Generalized Darwinism (GD) initiative relies on the abstraction of the MS to provide a unifying conceptual framework for evolutionary economics. Despite its merits, GD has been subject to criticism, particularly regarding its level of abstractness and lack of an explicit account of the social and cognitive processes that drive economic evolution. The goal of this article is to introduce and explore an alternative conceptual framework for evolutionary economics: the Holonic Framework (HF). Contrary to GD, the HF is not biologically inspired, but builds upon the body of literature on the value of digital information networks. We discuss the analytical strengths and limitations of the HF relative to GD in light of several aspects pertinent to evolutionary economics (e.g. self-organization, culture, cognition, cooperation). Finally, by referring to an operationalization of the HF using Eurostat data, we show its practical strengths in comparison to GD.     

BUDGET BEHAVIOUR: VARIANCE OVER THE LIFE CYCLE OF LOW INCOME FAMILIES

Several circumstances contribute to the economic demands of low-income families. One of these is a family's stage of development. A family is most economically vulnerable during the expanding stage of development. The main objective of this study was to see if low-income families used budgeting to cope with the economic demands of the expanding stage. A sample of 199 randomly selected low-income families from Phoenix, Arizona, were surveyed to explore their use of budgeting, the style of budgeting used, their satisfaction with income and their attitudes toward money management practices. The results raised several questions about the emphasis that family economics and management professionals place upon budgeting.     

Effects of family structure and socialization on materialism: a life course study in Thailand

Consumer researchers have long been interested in understanding the development of materialistic attitudes and values in different cultural settings. The life course approach, which has developed recently as an interdisciplinary programme for studying various aspects of behaviour, was used as an overarching framework for studying the development of materialism in Thailand. Specifically, the paper first presents the general conceptual framework that serves as a blueprint for discussing theoretical perspectives. Next, hypotheses derived from life course perspectives are formulated, and a survey of young adults (ages 20 to 32) is used to test them. We found that family disruption influences materialism only among those young adults from lower social classes. Findings of this paper have implications for theory development and suggest directions for future research.     

The Economic Development Role of Regional Logistics Hubs: A Cross‐Country Study of Interorganizational Governance Models

As global competition intensifies, the geographic fragmentation of supply chain activities is creating a concentration of trade at regional freight gateways or hubs. This has significant implications for the economic prosperity of the specific gateway regions. The study explores the deliberate governance efforts of regional economic development agencies and the communities they support in their attempts to exploit location‐specific logistics assets to deliver economic productivity gains. Drawing on the new institutional economics’ body of literature, the research explores prevalent governance models which represent the proactive attempts by these agencies to transform regional logistics capability into cohesive hub strategies. By adopting exploratory cluster‐mapping procedures, web content analysis, and Delphi panels, study findings suggest a typology of multijurisdiction, and multiagency governance models representing the collaborative efforts between public sector and government agencies, academic institutions, and private sector organizations within selected European and U.S. logistics hubs. Each governance type is defined in accordance to specific economic organization and proficiency characteristics.     

The family as an economic system: A conceptual model supported by empirical research

Economic functions found in any economic system can be observed in the family as a production and consumption unit of analysis. The development of a resource base and the decisions in performing each function are each influenced by the larger economy and influence the larger economy. Decisions about the use of the resource base determine the ultimate outcomes of satisfaction with goods and services and quality of life. These relationships, as hypothesized in a conceptual flow model presented in this article, can direct the selection of variables in empirical research. Results of several research projects that included selected components of the economic functions document the validity of the family economy model and contribute to theory development of the sources and role of consumption. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Research on rural family resource management: a Third World perspective

Family resource management research relevant to rural families in Third World countries can produce useful information for rural development projects. However, currently, most of the research is imitative of Western research and contributes neither to theory construction nor to alleviation of real problems of rural poor families. The major stumbling blocks to improve research are limited trained personnel, inadequate commitment to research, insufficient funds and ignorance of socio-economic milieu hampering identification of relevant research problems. Three broad directives are suggested to strengthen research on management by Third World families: (i) selection and application of a conceptual framework to create consensus or focus, concepts and processes; (ii) identification of contextually relevant, researchable problems, and (iii) identification and use of appropriate research methods and tools. Suggested researchable problems include basic need standards, fuel management, appropriate technologies, family size and level of living, use of time, access to and utilization of consumer services and information. Various strategies to develop a sound family resource management research base are identified.     

Financial attitudes,beliefs and behaviours: differences by age

One of the essential skills that people must acquire to function in our society is the ability to deal with money. This skill and the information necessary to use it are acquired mainly during childhood. There has been little research on when and how children acquire knowledge of money and the economic system in general or the degree to which family influence carries over into consumption activities as adults.¹ Little is known about how family financial decisions are made, what age people get involved with money, what kind of financial activities they partake in, which socialization agents have the most important influence on people's money beliefs, and how much and how families communicate about finances. The question of how these patterns have changed over the years also needs to be addressed. The focus of the marketing research has been on purchasing activity and on the socialization of the child. There has been much less work on socialization at later stages in the life cycle.² Reference to money personalities are frequently made in financial planning materials as useful information to effectively communicate with clients. No studies have explored if people in reality identify with any of the suggested money personalities. Similarly, little is known about buying behaviours and how they have changed over years.     

A PRELIMINARY TEST OF A FAMILY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH MODEL

The conceptual frameworks of family management attempt to explain family behaviour with respect to management activities. However, rigorous empirical tests concerning the validity of these frameworks have not yet been conducted due to a number of unresolved research issues such as the measurement of concepts, data collection and research modelling specifications. This paper attempts to perform a preliminary empirical test of a research model based on the conceptual frameworks in family management. Satisfactions with eleven types of family outputs were examined in relation to a family's input conditions and throughput activities. Throughput activities as a group were found to contribute significantly to the family's satisfaction with the cleanliness of the house. Planning activities, decisionmaking styles and time spent in household production were important in explaining satisfaction with many of the outputs studied. The results of this preliminary test of the management research model demonstrate the need to collect better and relevant data and to develop improved measures of the management concepts so that a full and rigorous test of the family management frameworks can be properly performed. Other research issues such as simultaneity and functional form could then be addressed.     

制度变迁中主体类型与区域经济发展差距研究

目前关于中国区域经济发展差距的研究主要归因于某种具体的因素．注重从要素投入或者某些外在影响因素去分析。本文以新制度经济学为分析框架,从转型中对经济发展起决定作用的市场主体的角度考察不同主体的发展战略和行为选择对经济发展的影响。国家发展战略的不同、区域历史禀赋和自然禀赋的差异、地方政府官员的异质性以及这些因素的不同组合构成了区域间的巨大发展差异。     

Reconciling globalisation and technological change: Growing income inequalities and remedial policies

Since the mid-1970s wage inequality has increased sharply in OECD countries. Among the factors singled out by economists as possible major contributors to this development are economic globalisation processes and skill-biased technological change. Although these are most commonly considered as independent influences, the present authors argue, after critically outlining views about these factors, that strong interdependence exists between them. The article then examines potential policy responses to this growing inequality.     

Using vignettes to study family consumption processes

The use of vignettes for qualitative consumer research is discussed in this article. More specifically, vignettes are proposed as a useful research technique for conducting systematic and rigorous studies of consumer interaction processes, in particular as these relate to family consumption issues. Following an overview of methodological and practical problems of studying consumption interaction processes in families, a discussion of how vignettes may be used to enhance knowledge of family decision‐making processes in real‐life contexts is presented. Design implications are discussed and strategies for applying the vignette method are outlined and illustrated by two recent studies of pro‐environmental consumer behavior in a family context. The paper concludes with a discussion of the benefits and the possible pitfalls of using vignettes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Economic influences on perceived value,quality expectations and customer satisfaction

Consumer research has extensively analysed psychological determinants of customer satisfaction. As macro‐level customer satisfaction data were not available until recently, researchers have only taken first steps towards analysing economic determinants of customer satisfaction. Based on a more complex conceptual framework and on data from Germany and Japan, this article examines how economic processes influence the perceived value of goods and services, quality expectations and customer satisfaction. Using principal component analysis, regression analysis and structural equation modelling, this study finds that perceived value is positively influenced by both economic growth and lagged economic expectations. Customer satisfaction is positively influenced by economic growth and negatively by current economic expectations, with half of the impact mediated by perceived value. Economic expectations positively influence expectations regarding the quality of goods and services. These results imply that consumer researchers should no longer ignore economic influences on consumer attitudes. Marketing managers are advised to be cautious not to misinterpret economic‐induced variations in customer satisfaction as caused by corporate performance.     

The Influence of Historical Socialism and Communism on the Shaping of a Society’s Economic Ethos: An Exploratory Study of Central and Eastern Europe

This study utilizes an exploratory research design to investigate the influence of historical socialism and communism on the shaping of a society’s economic ethos. The discussion of ethics and economics has a very long history across multiple disciplines including the founder of modern economics, Adam Smith. However, with the growth of economic science, academic consideration has shifted toward positive analysis while normative analysis has been left mainly to philosophers. By utilizing the newly developed Morality of Profit-Making (MPM) scale, the authors sought to understand how historical socialism and communism influences respondents’ economic ethical worldview utilizing an exploratory research design. Data were collected from respondents in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Poland, and Hungary.     

Process in family business internationalisation: The state of the art and ways forward

Although the internationalisation of family businesses (FBs) has received increasing attention in recent years, much remains to be learned about how FB internationalisation unfolds as a process. Our review of 172 empirical studies from the period of 1991–2018 indicates that only 25 studies included both longitudinal data and strong process theorising, even though internationalisation is inherently processual, and FBs are longitudinal in nature. We acknowledge that both variance- and process-based theorising are needed to build an understanding of the FB internationalisation process. We contribute to the field by building an FB internationalisation process model based on a review analysis. Within the model, process-based internationalisation pathways are combined with variance-based capabilities (positive influences) and liabilities (negative influences) that affect internationalisation, with economic and non-economic goals viewed as driving the various internationalisation processes. On the basis of the model, we suggest that future research could adopt more longitudinal and individually focused approaches, as a means to understand the FB internationalisation process in various FBs and contexts, over various time periods, life cycles, and FB generations.     

信息经济学与外贸公司赢利模型设计

信息经济学是研究不完全信息和信息不对称条件下经济活动和经济行为的特征与规律以及在经济领域关于信息商品、活动、产业的运行机制和发展规律的综合性经济学科。外贸公司的3种赢利模型是:经验曲线模型、专业化模型和配电盘式模型。     

赡养上一辈对中年家庭发展能力的影响路径——基于CFPS家庭配对数据的分析

利用2016年CFPS数据,从微观家庭视角,采用结构方程模型探讨多元化养老情境下赡养上一辈对中年家庭发展能力的影响路径。实证分析表明,老人的经济能力、衰老特征、失能情况三个变量对子代家庭发展能力的联合解释力为82%。老人经济能力的中介作用十分显著,且对衰老特征影响子代家庭发展能力具有遮掩效应,导致衰老叠加风险被子代家庭和公共政策所忽视。不同出生队列、育儿类型、城乡家庭群组在"失能情况通过老人经济能力影响家庭发展"这条路径上表现出明显的差异。失能引起城市老人由"小家庭"向"大家庭"的聚合,农村则相反。实施更加精准的家庭支持政策需综合考虑老人经济能力、衰老特征变化规律、失能情况以及子代家庭脆弱性。