A model of sustainable household technology acceptance

There is an expanding range of technologies used in a residential setting to enable sustainable living, including ‘smart’ technology that uses learning and connectivity to modify household behaviours. Understanding what drives the adoption of sustainable household technology will allow product developers, marketers and policy makers to use technology to reduce the environmental impact of homes. Based on the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, a model that explains predictors of intention to adopt sustainable household technology was developed and tested via an online survey of 592 US consumers. The results from structural equation modelling demonstrate that product attributes of sustainable household technology including performance, compatibleness and hedonic expectancy as well as consumer characteristics, in specific, sustainable innovativeness significantly predicts adoption intent. Conversely, the model testing shows that effort expectancy as well as social pressure and environmentalism are not significant predictors of adoption intention Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Choosing durable goods for household production: economic efficiency of household durables

A model of use-utility of household durables was developed and estimated using survey data. The survey was conducted to identify attributes relating to the efficiency of kitchen work centres. Indexes for the most important attributes were developed and used to compare different selections of equipment. The impact of adding an equipment item was found to vary with the characteristics of the item, the degree of importance ascribed to attributes of the work center and specific functions performed there     

Fuel-efficient stoves for Darfur: The social construction of subsistence marketplaces in post-conflict settings

This paper explores the development of market roles and transactions in fuel-efficient stoves in Darfur from 1997 to 2008 as a grounded example of how subsistence markets are socially constructed in post-conflict settings. Using a combination of archival texts, interviews, and real-time discourses by protagonists, this study explains the who, what, why and how of emergent marketplaces by showing how development interventions come to imbue market participants and transactions with socially (re)constructed meanings. The fitful emergence of subsistence marketplaces for fuel-efficient in Darfur is punctuated by development interventions which at times under- or misrepresent market participants and by successes and failures in bringing together trainers, producers, sellers, consumers and users of fuel-efficient stoves. Subsidies and handouts delay and distort the emergence of grassroots demand, choices, and prices; a plurality of competing development interventions re-shape the supply. By the end of 2008, the subsistence market for fuel-efficient stoves catches momentum, engaging over 52% of the Darfuri communities in market transactions for the product. As market participants gain voice and influence they reshape the market to favour mud stoves over metal stoves. Reports by several development organizations suggest that among fuel-efficient stove users, 90% use mud models, and 49% of women who own both mud and metal stoves prefer mud stoves.     

话说央行加息

在《国际市场》杂志创刊20周年之际,在又一个辞旧岁迎新年之际,本刊不搞庆典,不搞贺喜,而是以独特的方式,欣然为你献上一份新鲜诱人的精神美餐——“地产沙龙”专栏。     

WTO:全球抵制贸易保护主义的最佳平台

当前全球抵制贸易保护主义陷入了"言行不一"的困境。WTO作为当前国际上最大的政府间经济组织,应当并且能够成为促使各国落实其"抵制贸易保护主义"承诺的平台。当然,WTO也需要完善,以有效发挥其在抵制贸易保护主义过程中应当起到的作用。     

蓝色家电掀起你的盖头来

2001年9月26日,中国 IT 业巨头联想集团推出国内第一款蓝色家电,10月,在广州举办的联想蓝色家电产品消费者系列试用会上,蓝色家电首次亮相广州,引起较大轰动,"蓝色家电"这个神秘的家伙,成为争相议论的话题。蓝色家电的出现无疑是中国加入 WTO 前 IT 业进军家电业的信号,同时也可以看成是 IT、家电业重新洗牌的标志,联想为什么要进军家电业?联想集团副总裁刘军打了个形象的比喻"这就好像是爬珠穆朗玛峰,你从北坡爬,我从南坡爬,上边是一块全新的天地,就看谁先到"。蓝色家电是个什么东东?为什么会引起中国家电业如此大的恐慌?我们一同来解开这个谜。     

论适度保护关税税率

面对日益加速的经济全球化进程,各国仍然在普遍使用关税措施来保护本国产业的发展.在这方面,发展中国家需要解决的问题是设定一个适度的保护关税税率,以让国内产业既有生存和发展的空间,同时又有足够的竞争压力来提高效率.根据国内与国际平均生产成本的差异来确定保护关税的税率是一个可行的办法.进一步削减关税是我国加入WTO后需要承担的义务,应当按照适度保护关税的原则把平均关税的税率稳定在一个合理的水平上,并根据国内不同产业的发展状况,提供必要而有效的保护.     

Satisfaction with household production: the effect of time spent in household production by husbands and wives

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the extent of household production and satisfaction with household production. Data were obtained from 400 married couples who responded to a postal questionnaire. The dependent variable was an index of satisfaction incorporating two aspects of household production, quality and quantity. Regression analysis indicated that of the three variables representing the extent of household production in the model — hours spent by each spouse in household production and an activity index to measure the number of household production activities — only husband's hours spent in household production demonstrated a significant, independent effect. Other significant variables included husband's hours of market work, household net worth, age of respondent and gender of respondent. Two significant interactions indicated that (i) the relationship between wife's hours of household production and satisfaction with household production differed according to the gender of the respondent, and (ii) the relationship of husband's hours of market work and satisfaction differed according to the age of the respondent.     

Reducing household water consumption: a social marketing approach

Abstract

There is increasing pressure for society to move towards more sustainable use of its resources, and calls in the literature have been made to reassess marketing’s role in achieving such goals. This research examines how key behavioural factors influence household water use, in the context of a social marketing programme to reduce household water consumption. A model of the key drivers of household water consumption is developed and tested using a sample of 909 households in a regional city in Australia. The findings from this study support the model developed and show that in the absence of price as a rationing mechanism, the social marketing programme significantly reduces household water consumption.     

From production to sustainability: Considering the whole household

The recent focus on sustainability as guiding principle for economic activity has generated many, and often conflicting, definitions of sustainable economic development. Yet while the terminology may be new, the discussion is not. Rather it parallels the discussion about biases of economic measurement and valuation concepts which have led to the neglect of the domestic and subsistence contribution of female householdership relegated to the informal sector. This paper argues that the selective focus of economics on narrowly defined productive functions has led to the detrimental neglect of sustaining functions without which production itself would be impaired. Informed by feminist theory, three principles are identified which are essential to the conceptual framework of a sustainable production theory. They are: concretion rather than abstraction, connectedness rather than isolation, and diversity rather than homogeneity. Without deterring from the importance of gender (especially in economics), the discussion of these principles of a sustaining orientation of economics is viewed in a broader context of mind-sets. It is argued that to reframe the relationship between production and sustainability as compatible rather than adversarial requires a broadening of theory, inquiry, and methodology. The voices of women who have gone largely unheard in economics are essential in this refraining process.

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Zusammenfassung Von der Produktion zur Nachhaltigkeit: Die Betrachtung des Haushalts als Ganzes. Die neuere Betonung der Nachhaltigkeit als Leitprinzip für ökonomisches Handeln hat zu vielen — manchmal uneinheitlichen — Definitionen der nachhaltigen wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung geführt. Neu ist bei dieser Diskussion nur die terminologische Seite, die inhaltliche ist es nicht. Vielmehr gleicht sie der Diskussion über unzulÄngliche Konzepte zur ökonomischen Messung und Bewertung, die zu einer VernachlÄssigung des dem informellen Sektor zugeordneten Unterhaltsbeitrages der überwiegend weiblichen haushÄlterischen TÄtigkeit geführt hat. Der vorliegende Beitrag will zeigen, da\ die einseitige Betonung eng definierter produktiver Funktionen durch das ökonomische Denken zu einer schÄdlichen VernachlÄssigung der Unterhaltsfunktionen geführt hat, ohne die die Produktion sehr beeintrÄchtigt wÄre. Ausgehend von feministischer Theorie werden drei Prinzipien identifiziert, die für eine Theorie nachhaltiger Produktion wichtig sind: Konkretisierung statt Abstraktion, Verbundenheit statt Isolation und Verschiedenheit statt Einheitlichkeit. Wenn Produktion und Nachhaltigkeit in neuer Sichtweise nicht mehr nur als gegensÄtzlich, sondern als miteinander vereinbar gesehen werden sollen, so ist dafür eine Ausweitung der Fragestellungen der Theorie und der Methodologie notwendig. Die Stimmen der in der ökonomik weitgehend ungehörten Frauen sind für diese neue Sichtweise sehr wichtig.

     

Impact of adoption in Ghana of an improved fish processing technology on household income,health and nutrition

Surveys were conducted in three fishing communities in Ghana, where an improved fish smoking technology (the Chorkor smoker) had been introduced previously, to assess the impact of adopting the improved technology on household income, health and nutritional status. Fifty‐one fish processors (all women), who had adopted the improved fish processing technology, were selected for the study, in which the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) technique, nutritional survey methods and structured questionnaires were used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. The results revealed that there was an improvement in economic activities. This resulted in a positive impact on household income and food consumption patterns of the processors. Improvement in household income resulted from increases in the quality and quantity of output, price per unit output and profits. Improvement in food consumption pattern was mostly in respect of quality and quantity of food intake, but the types of food consumed remained the same. The nutrient intake of the respondents was good on average, with a majority exceeding the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein, vitamin B1 and calcium. The average body mass index (BMI) of the processors was also within the ideal range of 20–25. Adoption of the new technology also improved the health status of the respondents. Lessening of eye problems and headaches as a result of reduced exposure to smoke and heat was reported by 52% of the women. However, preschool children were undernourished as a result of poor child feeding practices. In any technology transfer process, apparently unrelated nutritional factors need to be considered.     

Changing household formation patterns: implications for consumption and nutrition

The effects of anticipated changes in the composition of U.S. households on food consumption patterns and on levels of nutrition are projected to the year 1995. Despite rather substantial demographic shifts, the estimated impact on aggregate food budget shares is small for 13 aggregated food groups. Stratification of cross-sectional data by income and household composition is important to identify potential household groups at risk with respect to selected nutrition categories. Results from this analysis are useful in developing policies which can be geared to target those groups deficient in nutritional intake.     

Husbands' and wives' household work: moving towards egalitarianism?

Whether husbands are increasing their time in household tasks, especially when their wives are employed, has been a topic of debate in recent years. Several studies have found that husbands are participating in more child care now than in the past. But are husbands also doing other tasks now? Is there any relationship between the amounts of time that husbands and wives allocate to various household tasks? Are there any weekday versus weekend differences? A small sample of husbands and wives recorded their time spent in various activities for 7 consecutive days. The findings reveal that wives spent more time in general doing household tasks than did their husbands. Employed wives and their husbands both decreased their total time in household work, compared with full-time homemakers and their husbands. At weekends, however, both employed wives and homemakers decreased their overall time in household work while the husbands increased theirs. The t-test revealed that at weekends there were no significant differences in the times allocated to various household tasks by employed wives and their husbands, and significant differences only in time spent in child care and food preparation/clean-up by homemakers and their spouses. There appears to be a more egalitarian approach by husbands and wives to household tasks at weekends than on weekdays, even when the wives are not employed. Although these findings should not be generalized to the population, they indicate an intriguing possible trend which deserves further investigation.     

告别天价薪酬

据估计,高盛（Goldman Sachs）2009年的平均奖金达到近60万美元,摩根大通（J.P.Morgan）投行部门的平均奖金略低于40万美元……人们在反思本次席卷全球的金融危机时,华尔街高管的天价薪酬备受指责,改革管理人员薪酬制度的呼声越来越高。如何制定出一个有效合理的高层薪酬机制？Eurosif和伦理投资研究服务组织（Ethical Investment Research Service,EIRIS）共同的研究,希望为企业、政策制定者和负责任的投资者提供可资借鉴的方法。     

Fathers' involvement in household activities

This paper reports a study which examined the extent of the father's involvement in child rearing and traditionally female household work. The quality of life perceived by the husband, wife and oldest child in each family in the sample was assessed.     

Towards sound environmental behaviour: Exploring household participation in waste management

The article reports a study of household participation in waste management. The empirical material stems from a long-term experiment with local composting carried out in a suburb of the city of Göteborg, Sweden. Fifty-two households of a population of 180 voluntarily participated in the field experiment where three makes of compostors were tested. The aim of the paper is to shed light on some critical factors that are of importance when introducing and evaluating new waste management systems that rely on active participation by households. The motives behind the initial decision to participate, as well as factors influencing continuation or discontinuation, are identified and analysed. Data were collected through three interviews carried out in the homes of participating families during the experimental period of one year. Amongst the results reported it can be seen that a general environmental concern was a common factor behind the decision to participate in the project. The positive attitude towards composting was strong throughout the experiment, although composting behaviour in the implementation phase declined in such a way that less material was composted due to lack of knowledge, technical misfits, and problems related to internal household dynamics. Another important result found was that the obstacles perceived by prospective participants prior to the commencement of the composting were not those that in fact proved to be decisive.

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In Richtung auf umweltverträgliches Verhalten: Die Untersuchung der Beteiligung von Haushalten an Abfalltrennung und Müllvermeidung

Zusammenfassung Das empirische Material der Studie, über die der Beitrag berichtet, stammt aus einer Langzeituntersuchung in einem Stadtteil von Göteborg in Schweden, bei der es um lokale Kompostierung von Müll ging. 52 Haushalte aus einer Population von 180 Haushalten nahmen freiwillig an einem Feldexperiment teil, bei dem drei verschiedene Fabrikate von Kompostieren verglichen wurden.Der Beitrag möchte einige kritische Faktoren beleuchten, die bei der Einführung und Evaluierung solcher Müllsysteme von Bedeutung sind, die die aktive Teilnahme der Haushalte voraussetzen. Analysiert werden die Motive zu einer solchen Teilnahme ebenso wie die Faktoren, die gegebenenfalls einen Abbruch der Teilnahme bewirken. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte durch drei Interviews, die in den Haushalten der teilnehmenden Familien während der Untersuchungsdauer von einem Jahr durchgeführt wurden.Zu den Ergebnissen gehört der Befund, daß ein allgemeines Umweltbewußtsein ein allgemeiner Faktor ist, der hinter der Entscheidung, am Projekt teilzunehmen, seht. Von Bedeutung ist ebenfalls eine positive Einstellung gegenüber dem Kompostieren, obwohl das Kompostierungsverhalten während der Untersuchungsphase aus mehreren Gründen nachließ, unter anderem wegen Wissensmängeln, wegen technischer Pannen oder interner Haushaltsprobleme. Ein anderes wesentliches Ergebnis war, daß die Hindernisse, die die prospektiven Teilnehmer vor dem Beginn der Kompostierung zu erkennen glaubten, nicht die waren, die sich als entscheidend herausstellten.

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Helena Åberg is doctoral candidate and Helena Shanahan is associate professor at the Department of Hand Craft and Home Economics at the University of Göteborg, Box 12204, S-402 42 Göteborg, Sweden. Sven Dahlman is associate professor at the Department of Consumer Technology at Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg. Roger Säjö is professor at the Department of Communication Studies, Linköping University, S. 581 85, Linköping, Sweden.The research reported here was financed by the Swedish Council for Building Research, the REFORSK Foundation, the Swedish Association of Housing Companies, and the National Board for Consumer Policies.     

International comparison of household asset allocation: Micro-evidence from cross-country comparisons

Asset allocation, an important part of household finance, attracts constant attention across countries. Due to the differences between countries, asset allocation presents different characteristics in various countries. This paper compares and analyzes the differences in household asset allocation around the world based on the data of 23 developing and developed countries, such as China, the United States, 20 EU countries, and Australia, at the micro-level. This paper finds that in all of these countries, except for the United States, housing assets often occupy a large proportion of household total assets, which we give the name ‘Valuing Housing’, mainly attributed to the high housing value-to-income ratios (especially in developing countries). Further analysis shows that, with the increase in household income, the proportion of housing assets in most countries presents an inverted ‘U' shape, which first increases and then decreases, and where the inflection point appears in the top 20% of households. Also, with increases in income, China, the United States, and some other countries see an increasing proportion of financial assets. The top 20% of households tend to invest in financial assets. In addition, as the ages of household heads increase, the proportion of housing assets tends to first rise and then level off, and that of financial assets tends to first decrease and then level off. The conclusions of this paper help to better understand the differences in the allocation of household assets across countries and explain the underlying causes.     

家用录像机的现状和发展趋势

本文综述了家用录像机的技术进展及市场现状。给出了录像机的调频信号传输模型,进而指出了录像机中的主要技术问题。最后概述了家用录像机的发展趋势、