Sustainable lifestyles in an urban context: towards a holistic understanding of ethical consumer behaviours. Empirical evidence from Catalonia,Spain

Ethical consumer behaviour has been gaining increasing attention in recent times. Nevertheless, most empirical research tends to focus on specific expressions of ethical consumer behaviour such as fair trade shopping and disregard other ethical projects that a consumer might be involved in. The main implication of this is a lack of a holistic understanding of ethical consumer lifestyles. This work adopts a qualitative approach, which, together with a combination of research techniques, makes it possible to observe the ethical consumer experience as a whole. The findings suggest that a wide diversity of behavioural strategies can fit under the same ethical lifestyles. Furthermore, an answer is provided for the ongoing debate as to whether ethical consumerism should be considered a means for change in the guise of political pressure or it should be seen as immoral.     

A double-edged sword: the impact of institutions and political relations on the international market expansion of Chinese state-owned enterprises

This study examines the interaction of three factors, the involvement of the home country government, of host country institutions and of bilateral political relations, as they affect the post-entry market expansion of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in emerging, developing and developed countries. This study employs the case study method. The findings show that home country government involvement can either support or constrain SOEs’ subsequent market expansion. In emerging and developing countries, underdeveloped institutions create difficulties which can deter the market expansion of Chinese SOEs. In developed host countries, the challenges associated with unfamiliar institutions can be overcome through experiential learning. The political relations between the host country and China may influence the impact of institutions in the host country on the market expansion of Chinese SOEs.     

The professional development of European accounting academics: A proposed theoretical framework for future research

Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in the professional development of accounting academics and the effectiveness of their teaching. There is recognition that this development impacts on the primary roles of accounting educators: teaching, research and administration. This paper examines the career stories of accounting educators from different European countries. The aim is to develop a theoretical framework to provide new insights into the process of professional development. The comparative analysis of these career experiences led to the development of a proposed conceptual framework for gaining an understanding of the professional development of accounting educators. Drawing on these findings, the paper proposes that an awareness of the key-factors and the process of professional development of accounting educators may provide a new way of understanding the complex relationships among identities, system of beliefs, and behaviours related to teaching, research and administration.