Intransitive Preferences in Retailing

According to Arrow's well-known ‘parardox of majority voting’, intransitivities can occur in the attempt to establish a social, inter-personal preference ordering. As has been shown by May [1954], for example, a logical equivalent of this paradox can also arise in the case of individual, personal preference orderings. The present paper shows that such cases are quite plausible and natural, in as common a context as the choice of a grocery store. The paper also shows that intransitivities may occur more generally, as a result of decision rules other than the logical equivalent of majority voting.     

风险、激励与监管:ISDS仲裁员的身份冲突及其化解

ISDS仲裁员具有较为明显的身份特征、地域来源及性别特征。为解决投资仲裁员分布不平衡的问题,ICSID已开始尽量选择女性仲裁员或来自发展中国家的仲裁员。当事方指定仲裁员的天然争论以及仲裁员多种身份的重复交互,导致了仲裁员之间的感知风险、妥协风险以及偏见风险。扩大仲裁管辖权和维持ISDS体系的利害关系是对仲裁员的两大主要激励路径。不同当事方在ISDS中选择仲裁员时存在不平等信息或信息不对称的问题,导致仲裁员信息灰色市场的产生,影响ISDS仲裁程序。仲裁员及时彻底披露其与当事方的关系和潜在的冲突对保障仲裁员的独立性和公正性至关重要。仲裁员的双重身份易产生争论点冲突,从而引发正当程序的问题。披露可能产生合理怀疑的情况并制定仲裁员的行为守则可一定程度上消除这种冲突。     

Rule-Inequality-Aversion Preference and Conditional Cooperation in Public Goods Experiments: Economic Experiment Evidence from China

We provide an experimental investigation of the fair rule preference and its effect on anonymous cooperation, intending to test the hypothesis that people who exhibit high degrees of rule inequality aversion—consider “equality and mutual obligation under the social contract” as justified, are disgusted with free-rider behavior in the public goods game and are more likely to be conditional cooperators and make conditional contributions. Based on experimental work related to rule-preferences Chlaß and Moffatt (Giving in dictator games: experimenter demand effect or preference over the rules of the game? (No. 2012, 044). Jena Economic Research Papers, 2012) and the public goods game Fischbacher et al. (Am Econ Rev 100(1):541–556, 2010), we designed a dictator game with the option of buying a veto (when the veto was purchased, the level of rule inequality decreased, making it an ultimatum game) to measure rule preference, i.e., rule inequality aversion, and conducted a two-stage public goods experiment to identify the cooperation preferences and repeated cooperation levels of participants. We investigated the relationship between rule preferences and cooperative preferences (conditional reciprocal preference) and tried to explain the adjustments people made when making repeated contributions of public goods (conditional cooperation behavior) from a rule preference perspective. The results show that: (1) Heterogeneous rule-inequality-aversion preferences are found in lab; (2) The stronger the rule-inequality-aversion preference is, the higher the probability is for the individual to become a conditional cooperator in public goods experiment; (3) Individuals who have stronger rule-inequality-aversion are more sensitive to the contributions that are deviated from the norm. Compared to the theory of conditional cooperation types, rule-inequality-aversion preference has a better explanation power when it comes to the behavior adjustment in repeated public goods contribution.     

Menu Dependence and Group Decision Making

This paper is concerned with the problem of group decision making. We introduce the notion of a collective system rule. A collective system rule maps each preference profile to a group-preference system, which is a collection of social preferences on the subsets of the alternatives. By formulating the Arrovian conditions, we show the Arrow-type impossibility theorems. We also discuss how our approach is related to the standard group decision-making process.     

Preference Intensities and Majority Decisions Based on Difference of Support Between Alternatives

Simple majority is one of the most used decision rules in practice. However, under this decision rule, an alternative can defeat another one with very poor support. For this reason, other decision rules have been considered in the literature, such as qualified and special majorities as well as other majorities based on difference of votes. In this paper we generalize the latter mentioned voting systems by considering individual intensities of preference, and we provide some axiomatic characterizations.     

Abandoning distinctiveness: The influence of nostalgia on consumer choice

This study proposes that when feeling nostalgic, consumers are more likely to choose the option that the majority of others prefer. Four studies consistently demonstrate that nostalgia can enhance consumers' social connectedness, which motivates them to maintain the feelings of connection to the group and thereby increases their preference for majority-endorsed options in the subsequent product choices. Moreover, the strength of social ties between consumers and others moderates the mediation effect of social connectedness. In the weak social ties condition, social connectedness mediates the effect of nostalgia on preference for majority-endorsed products. In the strong social ties condition, the mediation effect of social connectedness diminishes. These findings complement previous work on how nostalgia influences consumer behavior.     

家族涉入、家族理性与家族企业目标偏好——基于一项比较案例的探索

家族涉入是家族企业的基本特征,它影响了家族社会资本的结构分布,进而决定了家族理性的效用构成,并通过对家族企业二元目标的不同偏好表现出来。其中,家族理性反映为家族企业对家族整体责任的兼顾,二元目标指的是对企业即期利润的追求以及对家族非货币化利益的追求。这种家族涉入决定家族理性,家族理性体现家族企业目标偏好的理论构念,通过一项比较案例分析得以验证。案例中的两家家族企业背景相似,但由于企业传承上的不同选择影响了家族涉入情况,进而两家企业表现出显著的经营目标差异。     

Circular or angular? How nostalgia affects product shape preference

As an important marketing strategy, nostalgia marketing is widely used by enterprises to attract consumers and influence their decision-making. Besides, feelings of nostalgia can be easily elicited in people's daily life and exert a great impact on them. Though the effect of nostalgia on consumer behavior has been extensively studied, whether and how nostalgia affects consumer preference for products with certain visual designs remain underexplored. Our research extends this domain by focusing on product shape preference as a new downstream consequence of nostalgia. Five studies (including one field experiment) demonstrate that nostalgia can increase consumer preference for circular-shaped products, with social connectedness as the underlying driver. Moreover, the indirect effect of nostalgia on circular shape preference via social connectedness is moderated by consumers' current social connections, such that the effect holds true for consumers with a low number of current social connections but is eliminated for those with a high number of current social connections. Together, marketers seeking to increase the sales of circular-shaped products may use nostalgic elements or cues in marketing campaigns.     

Comparing stated and realized preferences for shade‐grown vs. conventionally grown coffee

We used both stated preference and revealed preference data to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for shade‐grown coffee as compared with conventionally grown coffee. Stated preference data was collected using contingent valuation studies. Revealed preference data came from an experiment where all survey participants received a personally identifiable voucher redeemable for a free bakery item when the holder purchased a coffee. We compared estimates of mean and median WTP a price premium for shade‐grown coffee from stated preference data with similar estimates from revealed preference data. We used a logit model to evaluate the effect of explanatory variables (measures of environmental attitudes, personal norms for pro‐environmental behaviour and demographic variables) on respondents’ WTP a price premium for shade grown coffee. Model parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood approach. Respondents with higher scores on measures of environmental attitudes and personal norms for pro‐environmental behaviour were, on average, willing to pay more for shade‐grown coffee. While this paper examined a specific case, purchase of shade‐grown coffee, our results confirmed that stated environmental concern was a good predictor of pro‐environmental behaviour. We found that mean and median WTP estimates from stated preference methods were higher, but not significantly different than mean and median WTP estimates from actual purchases, indicating convergent validity between stated and realized preference methods. The majority of individuals both stated WTP a price premium and purchased shade‐grown coffee at a price premium. We did, however notice some interesting behaviour at the individual level where stated preferences under‐predicted realized preferences at low price‐premia and over‐predicted realized preferences at high price premia.     

Social Alliance and Employee Voluntary Activities: A Resource-Based Perspective

The corporate social responsibility literature devotes relatively little attention to the strategic role played by employee voluntary activities (EVAs) in social alliances. Using the resource-based perspective of the organization to frame the data collection and the analyses, this article investigates: (1) the role of EVAs in the development of corporate and non-profit organizations (NPOs) competitive assets and (2) the management approaches to how both parties can develop their own resources by combining them with the shared resources with the purpose of enhancing its competitive advantage in its own sector. The database is composed of 70 specifically designed interviews with managers of UK-based firms and NPOs. The analyses suggest, among other things, that the majority of corporate and non-profit managers find that EVAs generate substantial tangible and intangible benefits for their respective organisations, creating genuine synergies. We also find evidence of a general preference for the management approaches of such programmes in both types of organisation.     

To be respected or liked: The influence of social comparisons on consumer preference for competence- versus warmth-oriented products

Consumers frequently compare themselves with others and find themselves to be inferior or superior to the comparison targets. This article examines the effect of social comparisons on the relative focus of self-efficacy and relationship needs and the subsequent impact on consumers’ preference for competence- versus warmth-oriented products. Across six studies, we show that upward comparisons (i.e., comparisons with superior targets) result in feelings of self-threat, which heighten the need for self-efficacy and increase the preference for products that convey competence. In contrast, downward comparisons (i.e., comparisons with inferior targets) elicit feelings of social distress, which heighten the need for social relationships and increase the preference for products that convey warmth. These effects are mitigated when the comparison is made in a social skill-related domain and when the comparison target is an out-group member.     

On the Closeness Aspect of Three Voting Rules: Borda – Copeland – Maximin

This paper provides a comparison of three voting rules, the Borda rule, the Copeland rule and the maximin rule. Our analysis based on the rankings derived from those voting rules will shed new light on existing comparisons based on “closeness” between the three voting rules under investigation. In particular it will be shown that both, the rankings derived from the Borda rule and the maximin rule and the rankings derived from the Copeland rule and the maximin rule, will be exactly the opposite for certain preference profiles.     

区域服务贸易安排“特惠实质”的政治经济分析

区域服务贸易安排的不断蔓延标志着世界服务贸易的管理模式正在发生变化。本文基于与多边服务贸易自由化安排相对照的视角,对区域服务贸易安排提供的特惠待遇内容及实质展开政治经济分析。研究结果显示,由于区域服务贸易安排内涵着重要的"特惠侵蚀"机制:一是引入"非成员最惠国待遇条款",二是设立相对自由的服务原产地规则,实际付诸实施的区域服务贸易"特惠待遇"远不如根据协定文本测算得那么显著。从"服务"的特殊属性出发,本文指出有一系列的政治经济因素会促使区域服务贸易安排具有更强的将特惠承诺向区外扩展适用的潜在动力。区域服务贸易"特惠待遇"在本质上具有"渗漏性"这点会有助于推进多边服务贸易自由化进程。     

Ethical Rule Breaking by Employees: A Test of Social Bonding Theory

As employees continue to lie, cheat, and steal from their employers, researchers have tried to help managers understand and possibly predict such deviant behavior. This study considers the specific employee misconduct of ethical rule breaking. Hirschi (1969) suggested that deviant behavior can be better understood by social bonding theory. The social bonding model includes four elements; attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. It is proposed that Hirschi's social bonding theory can be used to understand ethical rule breaking by employees. Using a sample of 200 employees, the results indicate that the social bonding elements of attachment and involvement can be used to better understand the reported likelihood of ethical rule breaking of employees. Recommendations for better applying the social bonding model to ethical rule breaking are suggested.     

A linguistic decision process in group decision making

Assuming a set of linguistic preferences representing the preferences of the individuals, a linguistic choice process is presented. This is developed using the concept of fuzzy majority for deriving a collective linguistic preference, and the concept of nondominated alternatives for deriving the selected alternatives in the linguistic choice process. The fuzzy majorities are equated with fuzzy linguistic quantifiers. The collective linguistic preference is derived by means of a linguistic ordered weighted averaging operator whose weights are defined using a fuzzy linguistic quantifier. In order to obtain the nondominated alternatives, we present a novel reformulation of Orlovski's nondominance degree under linguistic information.     

Knows Me and My Business: The Association between Preference for Relational Governance and Owners' Choice of Banks

We explore the relative importance of relational and economic preferences in small business owners' choice of a primary bank. We measured preferences directly at three points within 14 years and found that business owners' preference for relational versus economic governance was associated with the type of bank chosen and that the effect of relational preference remained relatively stable over time. Our findings support the idea that a preference for social relations might shape even the most straightforward economic decisions and suggest that variation in this preference is large, persistent enough to support business opportunities for small firms, including small banks.     

The preference for scarcity: A developmental and comparative perspective

Human adults often show a preference for scarce over abundant goods. In this paper, we investigate whether this preference was shared by 4‐ and 6‐year‐old children as well as chimpanzees, humans’ nearest primate relative. Neither chimpanzees nor 4‐year‐olds displayed a scarcity preference, but 6‐year‐olds did, especially in the presence of competitors. We conclude that scarcity preference is a human‐unique preference that develops as humans increase their cognitive skills and social experiences with peers and competitors. We explore different potential psychological explanations for scarcity preference and conclude scarcity preference is based on children's fear of missing out an opportunity, especially when dealing with uncertainty or goods of unknown value in the presence of competitors. Furthermore, the results are in line with studies showing that supply‐based scarcity increases the desirability of hedonic goods, suggesting that even as early as 6 years of age humans may use scarce goods to feel unique or special.     

孤独感对体验消费意愿的影响机理

随着经济的发展和社会的进步,体验消费的形式日益多样化,并逐渐在消费市场中占据重要地位。鉴于现有研究大多关注体验消费的结果变量,而缺乏对其前因变量如心理因素的探索,通过在线问卷调查收集有效样本1014份,并利用层次回归分析法、拔靴法等实证分析孤独感与体验消费意愿之间关系,探讨社交需求和自我建构在其中的作用。研究结果表明,孤独感对个体体验消费意愿具有显著正向影响,即个体感受到的孤独感越强,其为摆脱孤独感及相关负面情绪影响而进行体验消费的意愿越强;社交需求在孤独感对个体体验消费意愿的影响中起中介作用,即孤独感会激发个体产生社交需求,进而提高个体进行体验消费的意愿;自我建构调节了社交需求的中介作用,且相比于独立型自我建构个体,孤独感对依存型自我建构个体社交需求的影响更大,依存型自我建构个体进行体验消费的意愿更强。因此,为进一步推动体验消费产业发展,对企业而言,应积极关注孤独感等消费者内在心理因素,根据消费者心理与个人特质制定相关营销策略,满足消费者社交需求,缓解消费者孤独感;对商家而言,应积极向目标消费者传递体验产品社交价值,激发消费者依存型自我建构,满足消费者情感诉求;对政府而言,应关注居民心理状态,积极引导居民进行体验消费,加强社会成员心理健康建设。     

潜规则与制度和经济秩序

自吴思的《潜规则》一书面世以来,＂潜规则＂已经成为家喻户晓的词汇。潜规则是区别于正式制度和非正式制度的第三种制度,它既依附于正式制度又逾越正式制度,造成多元规则并存,又腐蚀着非正式制度。尽管它增进了实施者的利益,却损害了经济效率和社会公平正义。为了压缩潜规则的运行空间,必须减小公权力所涉领域,充分发挥私权的作用,同时促进制度代理人与公共利益的共容。