HOME ECONOMICS—THE FUTURE*

The future development of the subject matter of home economics, and of the professional activities of home economists, are considered in relation to current developments in the educational system, to discernible trends in lifestyles and to long-term changes in the structure of society. The effects on the subject of the move of the home economics colleges into the universities and polytechnics, the nature of the careers followed by home economists, and of international contacts are also examined.     

Analyzing Export Behavior Through Managerial Characteristics and Perceptions: A Multiple Case-Based Research

ABSTRACT

The decision-maker's role in international activity is crucial, particularly in the case of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the extant literature on internationalization is characterized by a lack of consensus among scholars as to what constitutes the managerial factor in determining exporting. Therefore, this study focuses on the following issue: Which are the decision-maker's characteristics and perceptions that may influence the export behavior of SMEs? To address this main research question, a multiple-case study method is applied across four Spanish exporting SMEs. The findings show that high educational level, language skills, high-risk tolerance, innovativeness, as well as strongly perceived export stimuli compared to low and relatively easy to overcome export barriers positively influence the export involvement and development in these investigated SMEs. The study provides further insights into the research topic by jointly studying managerial characteristics and perceptions in the Spanish context where the exporting activities have not been as widely studied so far.     

Structural adjustment programmes and human well‐being

This paper provides a primer on structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) anticipating that a deeper understanding of these policies enables home economists to influence the global trend for SAPs that is profoundly impacting human well‐being. It addresses the issue of what SAPs are (their intended and actual impact on family well‐being), provides five reasons why home economists should care about SAPs and tenders seven ideas for what we can do, as professionals, to mitigate the negative impact of SAPs on familial well‐being and human security.     

Where Are We Going? Perceptions of U.S. Marketing Academics

This paper examines US marketing academics' perceptions of the most pressing issues for theory, practice and academia. The context is provided by an examination of individual and institutional demographic factors; how academics spend their time and what are their teaching/research interests. An analysis of the perceptions suggests there is a need to develop a more comprehensive marketing theory, as well as better integrate theory and practice. These outcomes appear to be limited by increased work pressures including the necessity of maintaining academic standards.     

Where Are We Going? Perceptions of French Marketing Academics

This paper examines French marketing academics' perceptions of the most pressing issues for theory, practice and academia. The context is provided by an examination of individual and institutional demographic factors; how academics spend their time and what are their teaching/research interests. An analysis of the perceptions suggests there is a need to develop some new paradigmatical thoughts and that an epistemological debate is strongly missed. One key issue of theory, practice and academia is the link between practice and theory that is strongly asked for by the French respondents.     

新贸易理论对我国外贸战略的启示

国际贸易理论是开展国际贸易活动的指导,同时不断发展的国际贸易实践要求国际贸易理论必须同时不断发展。国际贸易理论大致经历了三个发展阶段。20世纪80年代以来针对国际贸易领域出现的新现象,经济学家提出了"新贸易理论"。在新贸易理论形势下我国的贸易政策应重视培育和转化国家竞争优势,发挥政府作用,扩大国内市场;通过创新实现我国外贸结构转型升级;提高外贸竞争力,制定保护政策,培养竞争优势;实现从贸易大国向贸易强国的转化。     

Exploring the relationship between employees’ CSR perceptions and intention to emigrate: Evidence from a developing country

This study contributes to the burgeoning research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the individual level of analysis, in a hitherto largely neglected developing country context. Using survey information collected from 297 employees in public and private enterprises in Kosovo, this study examines how and to what extent employees’ perceptions of their employer's CSR activities are associated with their intention to emigrate. Applying a needs-based framework, this research provides evidence that employees’ perceptions of CSR are positively related to the meaningfulness of their work and job satisfaction and negatively related to intention to emigrate. Additionally, results confirm that the association between CSR perceptions and emigration intention is mediated by the meaningfulness of work and job satisfaction. From a practical point of view, this research should encourage private and public enterprises in developing countries to enhance and extend their CSR engagement.     

Institutional origins of WOFS formal contracting: A judicial arbitrariness perspective

In drawing from neo-institutional theory and the institution-based view, this study provides new insights concerning how home and host country norms influence wholly owned foreign subsidiary (WOFS) formal contract utilization. Our analysis of 171 WOFSs operating in the Philippines suggests that parent home country uncertainty avoidance, as an institutionalized organizational practice, is positively related to WOFS utilization of formal contracts in governing interorganizational relationships. Our results also reveal that managerial perceptions of local judicial arbitrariness directly influence formal contract utilization, and moderate the positive relationship between parent home country uncertainty avoidance and WOFS formal contract utilization. Furthermore, when compared to managerial perceptions of national judicial arbitrariness, perceived local judicial arbitrariness will exhibit a stronger negative direct and indirect influence on WOFS formal contract utilization. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

INTERNATIONAL RECIPROCITY IN HOME ECONOMICS

In this paper, the author suggests ways.of strengthening home economics through international interaction. Components of reciprocity suggested are travel, sabbatical leaves, correspondence, research and exchange. Qualities needed for international home economists include professional competence, tolerance of difference, adaptability, good communication skills and an ecosystem perspective.     

From global start-ups to the borderless firm: Why and how to build a worldwide value system

Although the original concept of international new ventures included the geographic configuration of value activities, the subsequent development of the literature has gradually abandoned the concern about the geographic configuration of both input sourcing and output marketing to concentrate almost exclusively on the latter. Therefore, this paper argues that there is a need to re-focus the research so as to figure out how and why some companies are borderless. Borderless firms are defined as the result of the combination, early on, of geographically dispersed resources and capabilities, defying the home-base logic. A borderless firm presents the following characteristics (or a combination of them) from inception (or shortly thereafter): (i) value-added activities dispersed across different countries and regions; (ii) entrepreneurs not bounded by a home base; (iii) multinational founders and/or management teams; and (iv) a multinational workforce. To enquiry into this issue, the study uses five case studies of borderless firms. The results advance the understanding of the motives and processes behind the development, early on, of a borderless configuration of value activities.     

The Pricing Processes of Exporters

Abstract

Within the realm of research regarding the successful implementation of exporting strategies lies the often neglected topic area of export pricing. This subject has received relatively little attention over the years for a number of reasons, including a lack of formal export pricing theory and a reluctance among international managers to discuss their pricing practices. Concurrently, what research that has been conducted on this issue has been largely undertaken from the single country perspective. Future research, both exploratory and empirical, is called for.

This study attempts to define what export pricing strategies and processes are currently being utilized by exporting firms, what influences the adoption of these strategies, and how these strategies differ across cultures. Through a series of interviews with export managers from U.S. and Mexican manufacturing firms, an exploratory case study analysis was conducted to address four major issues, namely (1) what are the export pricing processes of the firm, (2) how do stated export objectives relate to these strategies, (3) what are the perceived barriers to the successful implementation of pricing practices, and (4) how do these factors differ between Mexican and U.S. exporters.     

Course-Specific Motivated Learning and Outcomes: The Role of the Perceived Task Value of Course-Specific Assignments

Although the internationalization of curricula has increased steadily over the past 30 years, most universities and business schools have concentrated their efforts on program assessment activities, leaving course-level assessment as a gap in most international business assessment portfolios. To address the gap in aligning course-specific designs with course-specific learning outcomes, the current study focuses on a specific course domain. This study (1) assesses how students' subject-specific motivational beliefs and learning behavior affect their perceived learning outcomes, and (2) examines how students' perceptions of the task value of subject-specific assignments strengthen or weaken the effect of motivated learning on learning outcomes. The results highlight the critical roles of group-based term projects and individual-based IT tasks in strengthening the effect of self-efficacy and deep learning behavior on learning outcomes. International business educators are thus advised to manage students' perceived task value with regard to outcome and effort expectancy. Practicable recommendations are provided for building up students' expectations about desirable learning outcomes in relation to project-specific assignments, and fostering students' beliefs about return-on-efforts through project-specific assessment rubrics.     

The Role of Infomediaries: CSR in the Business Press During 2000–2009

Given the important role that business media play in corporate life, scarce attention has been paid to the role of media in the construction and popularization of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, we understand media as a key infomediary and examine how the business press has framed and presented CSR over the last 10 years. Based on a content analysis of how CSR is presented in two English-language business newspapers with an international readership, we develop a framework for understanding the role of business media setting the corporate CSR agenda. The results show that business media contribute to the construction of what CSR means in corporate practice by creating links between CSR and certain corporate activities, between CSR and arguments that strengthen the view of CSR as a business case, and between CSR and certain spokespersons. These links contribute to create a notion of what CSR stands for, what it means in practice, and why it is important that one should pay attention to.     

An analysis of the Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics 1977–93

Any field of study worthy of academic consideration and development needs a research base to support it. Many research practitioners working within the consumer studies and home economics areas have expressed fears about not only the lack of development of a research base but also the communication network within the research community. This study analyses one of the main research journals that is used by this research community, the Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, and examines its contribution. By analysing its development over the first 17 years of its existence, it has been shown that there is an international research community which is beginning to communicate with itself. However, these research practitioners still seem to rely more on research material from outside their own professional area rather than from work published in their own research journals. A lack of an indexing service covering the consumer studies and home economics areas continues to hamper dissemination of research material to a wider academic audience.     

Identification and Aftermarket Personalization with Durable Goods

Blending elements of the heuristic–systematic model and social identity theory, the authors extend theory by exploring the role of intimacy as a key boundary condition for identification (ID). Specifically, this research illustrates how intimacy affects the relationship between brand characteristics (prestige and distinctiveness) and ID. Further, the authors explore the relationship between ID and aftermarket spending on accessories. In a consumer durables setting, the authors conducted a field study with 1,193 consumers and matched customer perceptions with their actual retail spending on aftermarket goods. The results suggest that an individual's intimacy with a brand may affect how prestige and distinctiveness shape their ID. In addition, results show that the relationship between ID and customer aftermarket spending is moderated by a customer's level of satisfaction. Managerial implications of the findings are also outlined.     

International entrepreneurship in resource-rich landlocked African countries

Despite the increase in research about international entrepreneurship, relatively little is known about the process in Africa. This is due to the disparity between the actualization of business ventures and global perceptions of African entrepreneurs. As a result of the diversity of countries within the African continent, the nature of international entrepreneurship varies with cultural and historical context. To address this research gap, we discuss how international entrepreneurship in Africa differs to the more studied traditionally North American and European perspective. To do this we develop a number of research propositions for resource-rich landlocked African countries (Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) that have unique characteristics in terms of how they approach international entrepreneurship. The research propositions suggest that resource-rich landlocked African countries need to focus on informal networks and cultural attributes as a way to differentiate themselves in the international marketplace. Managerial implications and theoretical research suggestions for differentiating resource-rich landlocked African countries from the more resource scarce and coastal countries are stated.     

The personal quest for building global competence: A taxonomy of self-initiating career path strategies for gaining business experience abroad

Work experience abroad can be valuable for developing global competencies that promote organizational effectiveness and individual career success. However, the literature has taken a mostly organizational perspective, with little attention about what individuals can self-initiate to advance their international career and competencies development. Especially lacking is research on preparatory activities and career strategies that individuals may select leading to significant foreign work experience. Based on interviews with 48 American expatriates in five major cities in East Asia, this study presents a illuminating taxonomy of “pre-international” self-initiating career path strategies and activities for gaining valuable international business experience for building global competencies.     

人工智能经济学的思想端倪及建构路径

人工智能技术的广泛运用正在悄然改变人类物质文明和精神文明。文章认为人工智能对社会经济、政治、文化乃至对意识形态的影响,已经展露出可建构人工智能经济学的思想端倪。基于数字经济的发展,需要解释人工智能会在哪些方面通过市场机制对厂商投资经营发生作用;厂商运用人工智能技术究竟能在多大程度上提供有效供给和预测需求,厂商在未来普遍采用大数据分析和人工智能技术进行投资经营选择时,社会经济实践会在多大范围内要求经济学家修正微观经济学基础的理性选择理论、厂商理论和产业组织理论;假若大数据分析和人工智能技术在未来果真会引发经济学革命,经济学家如何探寻人工智能经济学的建构路径等。文章拟依据微观经济学原理对以上诸问题作出分析性描述,对有可能在理论上站得住脚的人工智能经济学的建构路径展开研究,以期达到相对前卫的理论认知。     

Re-internationalisation: Exploration and conceptualisation

Re-internationalisation represents a research challenge for the internationalisation process and international entrepreneurship fields. Many companies withdraw from international operations, go through an international time-out period and later re-enter the international arena. Little is known about this process, and whether re-internationalisers behave differently from those starting out for the first time. The limited, sketchy evidence is considered and it is argued that some re-internationalisers will go into the re-entry process with a significant international heritage from previous activities, including relevant knowledge and networks, enabling faster re-entry and take-off. However, other firms will have exited in such negative circumstances that international re-entry initially is rejected as an option, and may be slow to respond to new international opportunities. Much depends on what happens during the international time-out period, particularly in terms of changes in management and/or ownership; the nature and strength of new re-entry influences; and how the re-entry process unfolds.     

The Ethics of Professorial Book Selling: Morality, Money and "Black Market" Books

This study used experimental and correlational techniques to examine perceptions that university faculty hold regarding the practice of professorial selling of examination textbooks to wholesalers. Faculty members (n = 236) from 14 universities and community colleges and a wide variety of academic disciplines responded to a web-based survey. We presented hypothetical selling situations to respondents with manipulated variables consisting of solicitation status (unsolicited versus solicited) and use of money (for faculty or for student activities). Both main effects and the interaction effect were significant such that respondents perceived it to be more ethical to sell an examination book when the book was unsolicited and when the money was being used to fund student activities. The variable most correlated with faculty members' beliefs that book selling is ethical and the faculty members' self-reports of whether or not they have engaged in bookselling was how widespread the practice appeared to be on campus. About 30 percent of faculty members sold textbooks over the past year at a dollar value of about $80 per professor. About 38 percent of respondents reported they believed the practice to be generally ethical. Implications for business ethics theory, students' moral development, and advancement of on-campus codes of ethics policies are discussed along with avenues for future research.