Customer Centric Company

Literaturhinweise

Customer centric company     

Network Ethics: Information and Business Ethics in a Networked Society

This article brings together two research fields in applied ethics – namely, information ethics and business ethics– which deal with the ethical impact of information and communication technologies but that, so far, have remained largely independent. Its goal is to articulate and defend an informational approach to the conceptual foundation of business ethics, by using ideas and methods developed in information ethics, in view of the convergence of the two fields in an increasingly networked society.     

A reappraisal of the forecasting performance of corn and soybean new crop futures

Forecasting performance of December corn and November soybean futures contracts during the previous spring was evaluated using the commonly specified price-level and percent-change models. These models invoke different assumptions regarding stationarity. Using Stein's analytical framework, results for the price-level model suggest avoidable social loss existed in the soybean market since 1973, because November futures provided biased forecasts. Regression R²s for both corn and soybeans declined substantially between 1952–1972 and 1973–1997, suggesting total social loss increased. By contrast, results from the percent-change model suggest only unavoidable social loss existed in the corn and soybean markets, because the futures provided unbiased forecasts. R² increased for corn but declined for soybeans, suggesting unavoidable social loss declined for corn, but increased for soybeans. The important, conflicting nature of the results from the two models underscores the importance of examining alternative model specifications when evaluating price forecasting performance. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 19: 604–618, 1999     

Marketing ethics and the techniques of neutralization

The need for conceptual work in marketing ethics is addressed by examining the five techniques of neutralization as a means for partially explaining unethical behaviors by marketing practitioners. These techniques are often used by individuals to lessen the possible impact of norm-violating behaviors upon their self-concept and their social relationships. Borrowed from the social disorganization and deviance literature, the five techniques of neutralization are: (1) denial of responsibility, (2) denial of injury, (3) denial of victim, (4) condemning the condemners and (5) appeal to higher loyalties. Examples of marketing professionals using each of the five techniques are given, and a conceptual model linking the techniques of neutralization with unethical behavior is presented. Finally, relevant research questions are offered for consideration.Scott J. Vitell is Assistant Professor of Marketing at The University of Mississippi. His most important publications include A General Theory of Marketing Ethics (1986) (with Shelby D. Hunt) and Marketing's Contribution to Economic Development: A Look at the Last 30 Years (1985) (with Van R. Wood). Stephen J. Grove is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Clemson University. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Health Care Marketing, the International Journal of Sport Psychology, the Journal of Sport Behavior, the Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication, Simulation and Games, and several national and regional conference proceedings.     

Revised HWWA commodity price index

The pattern of international trade is changing constantly. The HWWA Index of World Market Prices of Commodities, which is weighted by imports, therefore needs to be adapted from time to time in order to preserve its relevance as an indicator of price trends in international commodity markets. It is now (as of September 2003) published with updated weights based on 1999–2001 import values and with a new price basis (2000=100).     

An Inventory Evaluation Approach for Common Use Stock Range Units in British Columbia

Beef ranchers in British Columbia rely upon Crown range for a large proportion of their summer and fall grazing needs. Any improvement in the management policies for this resource can enhance the economic viability of the beef sector. The objective of this study is to evaluate the stocking levels of stock ranges administered by range agrologists and to compare their assessment with that derived using a more formal planning procedure. The report details the stocking capacity for the Punchaw Stock Range in the Prince George range district. Capacities for other stock ranges are also estimated. When rotational uses are defined and examined, the optimal use pattern results in carrying capacities that are approximately double that of current or recommended stocking levels. Les producteurs de bovins de Colombie-Britannique dépendent des parcours de la Couronne pourune grande partie de leurs besoins en pâturages ?été et ?automne. Toute amélioration des politiques de gestion de cette ressource risque ?avoir un effet salutaire sur la viabilité économique du secteur des bovins. La présente étude avait pour objectif ?évaluer ?intensity de pâturage sur les parcours gérés par des agronomes et de comparer leur évaluation à celle obtenue au moyen ?une méthode de planification répondant à des critères plus officiels. Nous fournissons des données détaillées sur la capacité de charge correspondant du parcours Punchaw, dans le district Prince George. Nous procédons en outre à ?évaluation de la capacité de charge ?autres parcours. Lorsque ?exploitation en rotation est définie et examinée, le calcul de ?utilisation optimale donne une capacité de charge correspondant approximativement au double des valeurs actuelles ou recommandées.     

Sustainability and consumption

We consider the implications of the three pillars of sustainability (environment, economy and social justice) on consumption in a wealthy country. Building a theoretical model that includes consumers, business, government, the environment, and economic and political relations between nations, we explore how sustainability should affect the consumption behavior of consumers, charitable aid to poorer countries, and responsible environmental practices by businesses. Our model enables us to provide normative implications for consumers, society and business. Importantly, we assume that all stakeholders will optimize their self-interest, and that altruism will only partly explain behavior consistent with sustainability. Among the more non-obvious findings are that (1) the poorer the poor countries are, the less the rich countries should consume, (2) the more sensitive the global political climate is to economic inequity between the rich and poor nations, the less the rich countries should consume, and (3) if aid to poor countries is effective enough, then the more materialistic the society is, the more charitable aid it should give. We also confirm a number of more intuitive findings, such as that business should use more green technology as the taxes on pollution and/or efficiency of green technology increase, and the more resource-intensive consumption is, the less consumers should consume. Taken as a whole, the findings imply that societal consumption patterns should be sensitive to aspects of environmental impact and social justice, even if altruistic motivations are absent.     

Financial liberalization and sectoral reallocation of capital in South Africa

We examine the impact of financial reforms on efficient reallocation of capital within and between sectors in South Africa using firm-level panel data for the period 1991–2008. The measure of efficient allocation of capital is based on the Tobin’s Q. We find that financial reforms are associated with improvements in within-sector, but not between-sector allocation of capital. These results imply that for South Africa to unleash the potential for take-off that is often associated with reallocation of resources from the primitive to modern sectors, reforms that focus beyond the financial sector are necessary. While more research is necessary to determine what would fully constitute such additional reforms, our analysis shows that reforms that improve the quality of economic institutions may be a step in the right the direction.