An Extension of the Structural Change Model to International Economic Relations

In this paper Pasinetti's model of structural economic dynamics (1981) is extended to consider international economic relations. Conditions for full employment, full expenditure of income and equilibrium of the trade balance are established for an open economy that requires capital goods to produce final commodities. Analytical results concerning the benefits from free trade and international learning are formally studied. In addition, static and dynamic aspects of the ‘principle of comparative cost advantage’ are analysed considering the determinants of the specialization level.     

A Pasinettian Amend to Growth and Distribution in an Open Economy

We show that Pasinetti's insight into the relationship between the equilibrium rate of profits, the capitalists' saving ratio and the natural growth rate can be extended beyond the original formulations for a closed economy. This result does not depend on a particular hypothesis about the ownership of foreign assets and thus is of great generality.     

Do‐It‐Yourself Projects as Path toward Female Empowerment in a Gendered Market Place

The role of women as homeowners and heads of households are changing the dynamics in which women engage in do‐it‐yourself (DIY) behavior. Because there is limited extant theory associated with female involvement in DIY behavior, a qualitative study using in‐depth interviews was conducted. Through grounded theory analysis several themes emerged during the coding process, and the themes of empowerment were especially relevant to the informants in this study. Five dimensions of empowerment were identified: empowerment through project initiation, production mastery, adding economic value to goods and services, unleashing creative potential, and empowerment through ownership. The findings show women's involvement in DIY behavior and the consumption of DIY‐related goods is closely tied to the concept of female empowerment.     

Economics and Management Theory: New Developments in France

Management theory, initially mostly concerned with establishing a set of normative principles aiming to train practicing managers, has developed a substantial body of theory and several original strands of research. It has traditionally drawn its inspiration largely from economic theory, but has integrated elements of sociology, law and social psychology, among other disciplines. In France, a set of relevant recent and innovative approaches come from recent developments in economic theory gathered generally under the label of 'economics of conventions. 'The paper attempts to characterize the main features of the'economics of conventions' and the ways in which it is relevant and provides fruitful new approaches to management theory.     

Management paradigms in Finnish journals and literature between 1921 and 2006

This article examines when the information on central management paradigms first arrived in Finland, and how they have been discussed in Finnish journals. Our key findings reveal that rational paradigms – scientific management and structural analysis – dominated management discussions in Finnish journals until the 1980s, and that discussion on management paradigms in Finland in the twentieth century appears to have been characterised by a slow transition from rational ideology towards normative ideologies. We also found that Barley and Kunda's thesis (1992) regarding the alternation of rational and normative ideologies is not really applicable to Finland: it would seem that the emergence and adoption of paradigms coincide more with changes in economic and business structure and influences arriving from abroad.     

THE KALDOR-PASINETTI PROCESS RECONSIDERED(*)

In this pape we extend Pasinetti's model in two ways: (i) taking into account both direct and indirect taxation we allow the government to own explicitly part of the capital stock and to get profits; (ii) opening the economy to international trade and allowing a non-zero current/capital account balance. We show that such extensions do not violate the essential features of the Cambridge result, provided that the external rate of savings is not affected by some kind of interest rate.     

Social Sharing of Online Videos: Examining American Consumers’ Video Sharing Attitudes,Intent, and Behavior

The present study integrated the theory of planned behavior, technology acceptance model, and Palka et al.'s (2009) viral marketing model to examine U.S. consumers’ online video sharing attitudes, intent, and behavior. Two online surveys of 318 U.S. college students and 370 U.S. general consumers were conducted consecutively in April 2012 and May 2012 to strengthen the study's reliability and validity. Results show that perceived pleasure and cost served as important predictors of online video sharing attitudes among college students and general consumers. Their intent to share online videos was predicted by perceived pleasure and normative influences, attitudes, and social media use. The number of online videos they shared was determined by online video consumption, intenteh, normative influences, and social media use. Sharing of online videos is different from sharing other online content in that perceived utilities and behavioral control do not really matter. The findings carry important implications for academic researchers, online marketers, and video publishers.     

Economics and the Limits of Optimization: Steps Towards Extending Bernard Hodgson’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">Moral Science</Emphasis>

In this essay, my point of departure is Bernard Hodgson’s analysis of neo-classical economic theory and his demonstration that neo-classical economic thought is already a branch of normative theory. I undertake to broaden the demonstration by showing that other contemporary conceptions of economics are also irreducibly normative. The essay begins with an overview of Hodgson’s argument strategy, and a discussion of his thesis that economics is a moral science. This illustrates in what way moral presuppositions are at play as core principles that both positivist and normativist economics take for granted. My strategy is to show that alternative conceptions of economics, in particular Schumpeterian accounts of evolution/innovation, and orthodox versions of ecological economics, share with classical and neo-classical economics normative assumptions about the common good, extending Hodgson’s thesis to one about moral science. For then these assumptions (both moral and scientific) commit economics to unworkable notions of social and environmental optimization that ignore the pure historical contingency of physical, economic, social and cultural conditions. It is concluded that the relationship between facts and values must be fundamentally retheorized.     

Does shared consumption affect consumers' values,attitudes, and norms? A panel study

Shared consumption is proposed as a comparably sustainable consumption practice. However, little is known about effects of shared consumption on individuals. We build on the theory of planned behavior and the value-belief-norm theory using cross-lagged structural equation modeling based on a two-wave panel study with 168 consumers to examine the effects a shared consumption pattern has on consumers' values, attitudes, and norms. Our structural model explains a medium to large amount of variance in self-reported shared consumption. We find shared consumption has statistically significant positive cross-lagged effects on future altruistic values, attitudes, subjective norms, and personal norms. However, no statistically significant effects of shared consumption are found on consumers' future biospheric and egoistic values. Thus, the more consumers engaged in shared consumption, the more concerned they were for others, while it did not affect their concern for the environment or themselves. Theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed.     

Managing the effectiveness of e-commerce platforms in a pandemic

Given the severe impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on business activities, this study presents a systematic framework to examine the effect of the perceived effectiveness of e-commerce platforms (PEEP) on consumer's perceived economic benefits in predicting sustainable consumption. This study adopted uses and gratification theory to base the conceptual model while adding a boundary condition of pandemic fear. The primary research method of this study is a quantitative survey and analysis. Using a sample of 617 online consumers with PLS analytical technique, this study finds a positive moderating effect of pandemic fear on the relationships among PEEP, economic benefits, and sustainable consumption. The contribution of this study is its examination of how economic benefit mediates the PEEP and sustainable consumption relationship which is dependable on the levels of pandemic fear. Implications for managers and theory are also discussed.     

Unveiling the influence of COVID-19 on the online retail market: A comprehensive exploration

The global economy has experienced significant disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, profoundly impacting production and consumption patterns. This paper examines the effect of the pandemic on consumer goods prices, focusing on a sample of hand sanitizers, soap, disinfectants, and baking yeasts. The selection of these products was motivated by multiple and comprehensive criteria, where we considered various factors such as changes in consumption patterns during the pandemic, the relevance of these products in household consumption, consumer behavior, availability of historical price data, their significance in daily domestic life, and their utility in the prevention of the disease. Employing a time-series analysis, the study investigates the relationship between product prices and the S&P 500 index, as well as the presence of structural breaks in the time series. The results reveal a significant correlation between all prices in the sample and the S&P 500 index, indicating the index's efficacy as an indicator of the overall economic state. Moreover, the study identifies a single structural break in each price time series, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, hand sanitizers, soap, and disinfectants exhibit particularly substantial price jumps near the time of the break. These findings offer crucial insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer prices, which can guide policy decisions aimed at mitigating the pandemic's economic consequences.     

Rorty,Caputo and business ethics without metaphysics: ethical theories as normative narratives

Using the works of Richard Rorty and John Caputo, I want to suggest that we might be better off treating the traditional ethical theories of Kant, Mill, Aristotle and Hobbes as normative narratives rather than as justificatory schemes for moral decision making to be set up against one another. In a spirit akin to Husserl's ‘bracketing’ of metaphysics, when discussing ethical theories in business ethics, we can easily avoid metaphysics and use an approach that sees ethical theory as socially convincing normative narratives – narratives that unify us with others insofar as they describe our phenomenological experiences in a way with which many of us mutually resonate. I will do this by attempting to show how John Caputo's thinking in Against Ethics and Rorty's postmodern pragmatism might be appropriated to some extent by us in business ethics.     

What are the drivers of channel length? Distribution reform in The People's Republic of China

The objective of this paper is to develop a model for analyzing the relative importance of the predictors of channel length. Identifying and explaining the factors that influence channel length is one of the most important tasks of channel research. The focus of this paper is The People's Republic of China (hereafter, PRC). The PRC is in transition from a planned to a market economy. As the economy evolves from a planning orientation to a market orientation, distribution structure reform is a critical factor in this process. Yet, very little is known about the factors that shape a nation's channel system. Understanding how improvements in distribution systems contribute to economic development can aid decision-makers in developing countries to improve resource allocation.Drawing from channel structure theory, the proposed model hypothesizes that channel length is a function of economic development, consumption, consumer mobility/outreach, urbanization and government policy. Both cross-sectional and time-series analyses were used for hypothesis testing. The results show that economic development, government policy and consumption are predictors of channel length. These findings show that government policy can aid market reform as economic development takes place, Moreover, the findings show that the evolution of distribution channels is not unidirectional as hypothesized by some, but channels may evolve from short to long and then shorten again.     

Economic Change,Subjective Perception and Institutional Evolution

Following Hayek's intuitions on the role of subjective perception in economics, I attempt to integrate path‐dependent dynamics in evolutionary economics, as emerging in the recent theorizing about economic change. The starting point is an open question in evolutionary economics: is there a unifying principle which characterizes change at individual, organizational and institutional levels? In the attempt to answer this question, I propose some considerations on the nature of learning processes and on the mechanisms of adjustment, discovery and selection that are consistent with cognitive psychology and contemporary neurobiology. In particular, I link imperfect perception to guided variations, like those contained in Dosi's technological paradigms. More generally, I attempt to integrate the evolutionary theory as conceived by Nelson and Winter with the evolutionary theory as conceived by Hayek.     

Further insights into perceived value and consumer loyalty: A “Green” perspective

“Green consumption” is an increasingly important topic in today's society. The effect of the ecological value provided by traditionally non‐green products, such as automobiles, on their consumer's post‐purchase behavior, such as brand or model loyalty, requires further clarification. The present study provides qualitative and quantitative insights from car users on how the ecological aspect of consumption integrates into the link between perceived value and consumer loyalty intentions (value–loyalty link). In general, car usage is accompanied by perceived functional, economic, emotional, and social value. Perceived ecological value is shown to have a significant impact on these four value dimensions. The relevance of “green to have quality,” “green to save money,” “green to feel good,” and “green to be seen” in relation to loyalty intention is discussed. Results of a structural equation model and multigroup analysis provide the opportunity to derive both theoretical and applied implications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Economic science and ethical neutrality II: The intransigence of evaluative concepts

This paper returns to a perennial controversy I examined in a previous paper in the Journal of Business Ethics (Vol. 2, 1983). Is economic theory an ethically neutral discipline or do its statements presuppose a commitment to moral values? Once again this issue is addressed via a case study of the neo-classical theory of rational choice. In the present paper I focus on behaviourist forms of “operationalist” attempts to short-circuit any argument that would seek to infer moral presuppositions from the use of evaluative discourse. In particular, I examine strategies that have sought to excise from economic theory the “mentalistic” vocabulary required to describe valuations per se. And I argue that such tactics are deficient since they i) impoverish the explanatory power of economic theory, (ii) fail to recover the normative usefulness of the theory of choice, and (iii) camouflage the continued presupposition of moral commitments within neo-classical theory.     

Extending Holt's consuming typology to encompass subject–subject relations in consumption: lessons from pet ownership

This paper adapts Holt's typology of consumption practices to illuminate consumption practices within the context of British consumers and their household pets. The photo-elicitation technique, autodriving, is used to elicit stories from our participants concerning their cats and dogs. Holt's typology provides a strong foundation for illuminating the consumption practices described in these stories. However, in order to capture the cultural meanings and social dynamics that animate these consumption practices more fully, we propose extending Holt's framework so as to incorporate (1) the agency of the animal; (2) the incidence of literal play; and (3) the moral values underlying consuming as classification. This paper concludes with a discussion on the value of our proposed additions in relation to future cultural studies of human–animal relations and to future cultural studies of consumption in general.     

Construal level and collaborative consumption: An exploratory approach

What motivates the participation in collaborative consumption, a part of the economy that will move 300 billion dollars by 2025? The literature presents external factors to the consumer as a form of incentive or limitation, such as economic opportunity, search for a sustainable society or emergence of a marketplace with no regulations. A few quantitative articles focused on understanding this access phenomenon, by analyzing the consumer as the main subject of research. However, it is possible to analyze this behaviour in the light of a theory that has not yet being explored within the collaborative consumer literature: The Construal Level Theory (CLT). This article aims to demonstrate that CLT presents a plausible explanation for adoption and access to collaborative consumption. The CLT's main idea is that consumers develop their interpretations on two levels: a higher one, focused on more abstract and simple situations; and a lower one, where judgments are conducted more concretely and complexly. Studies on CLT have shown that attitudes are usually constructed at high levels of interpretation, while behaviour is interpreted within lower levels. We propose that collaborative consumption can be reflected by consumers’ high or low levels and so defining the consumer's behaviour in this context.