Polish and Belgian consumers' perception of environmentally friendly behaviour

The aim of this study was to design a method for evaluating the importance that consumers place on the characteristics of environmentally friendly (EF) products and on consumer EF behaviour. Attitudes and opinions of consumers regarding the EF value of the different aspects of consumer behaviour – purchasing, using and disposing of goods – were measured. The perception of EF behaviour was analysed for Belgian and Polish consumers, a Western and an Eastern European country. The cultural, economic and political differences between Belgium and Poland may imply that their consideration of EF behaviour is different. The perception of consumers about buying, using and disposing of EF products does not necessarily indicate their own EF behaviour, but it gives an indication of what consumers think is EF behaviour. On the basis of the results, policy‐makers and industry can diagnose the consumers' perceived cost–benefit relationship of EF consumer behaviour. An evaluation of what consumers think is EF can be made for the two countries. Marketers, government and EF organizations can draw on our research results when developing EF products and/or advertising campaigns.     

Climate change, human genetics, and post-normality in the UK

Virtually intractable matters characterized by uncertainty over consequences, diverse and multiple engaged interests, conflicting knowledge claims, and high stakes, call for post-normal policy responses. This paper explores how two such responses have been implemented in the UK through the management of specific aspects of anthropogenic climate change and human genetics, which we argue can be described as “wicked” or post-normal issues. To address these, approaches require that a broader range of epistemic positions and worldviews be recognized as valid in the policy development process. We suggest that the concept of boundary organisations is well suited to examine some of the institutions that have been set up in the UK to deal with the two post-normal issues we consider here. This paper explores the extent to which the UK Climate Impacts Programme and the Human Genetics Commission respond to a post-normal policy approach and their achievements in overcoming epistemological boundaries and effecting integrated management responses. We conclude by considering the insights such an analysis offers into operationalising post-normal policy approaches. As intermediaries and facilitators, we suggest the two organisations can be considered forerunners in applying a post-normal approach to climate change adaptation and human genetics, respectively.     

B2B or Not to Be: Does B2B E‐Commerce Increase Labour Productivity?

We implement an endogeneous switching‐regression model for labour productivity and firms’ decisions to use business‐to‐business (B2B) e‐commerce. Our approach allows B2B usage to affect any parameter of the labour productivity equation and to properly take account of strategic complementarities between the input factors and B2B usage. Empirical evidence from 1,460 German firms shows that there is a simultaneous relationship between labour productivity and the adoption of B2B. Firms deciding to use B2B e‐commerce employ their input factors more efficiently than non‐B2B users. Conversely, firms refrain from engaging in B2B probably because they expect the cost of B2B adoption will not be sufficiently compensated by productivity gains.     

The Rise of Manufacturing Towns: Externally Driven Industrialization and Urban Development in the Pearl River Delta of China

This paper examines the forces that are shaping recent urban development in the economically most prosperous region of China — the Pearl River Delta. It shows that economic reform since 1978 has accelerated the pace of industrialization in the region and thereby led to the rise of a growing number of new urban centers. While public policies of the government continue to play a central role in defining the patterns of urbanization, they are increasingly localized and heavily influenced by the imperative of promoting externally-oriented economic growth. As a result, the prioritization of resource allocation for urban development is tilted toward the need of attracting and retaining foreign investment, and the formation of the emergent urban social space follows closely the interplay between the interests of dominant players in the increasingly marketized economic process. A major consequence of this is a segregation of urban life along the lines of international and domestic division of labor, where the benefits of urban development accrue differentially to various urban residents according to the relative scarcity of the economic factors that they possess. Cet article examine les forces qui façonnent le développement urbain récent dans la région la plus prospère de Chine — le delta de la rivière Pearl. Il démontre que la réforme économique depuis 1978 a accéléré le rythme de l’industrialisation dans la région et, de ce fait, a produit l’essor d’un nombre croissant de nouveaux centres urbains. Bien que la politique d’intérêt public du gouvernement continue à jouer un rôle central dans le choix des modèles d’industrialisation, ils sont de plus en plus localisés et fortement influencés par la nécessité de promouvoir la croissance économique orientée vers l’extérieur. Conséquemment, les priorités dans l’affectation des ressources pour le développement urbain sont influencées par le besoin d’attirer et de conserver les investissements étrangers, et la création d’un nouvel espace social urbain suit de près les effets réciproques des intérêts des partis dominants dans un processus économique de plus en plus commercialisé. Une conséquence importante est la ségrégation de la vie urbaine suivant une division du travail internationale et domestique, dans laquelle les avantages du développement urbain s’accroient différentiellement pour les résidents urbains selon leur manque relatif de facteurs économiques.     

FHA vs. Subprime Mortgage Originations: Is FHA the Answer to Subprime Lending?

We analyze originations of mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and of subprime mortgages—loans that dominate the non-prime mortgage market for riskier borrowers. Using home purchase and refinance loans data for 2005, we estimate that a sizeable number of borrowers who got subprime loans would have qualified for FHA loans, implying a potential net flow of borrowers from subprime to FHA, especially for refinance loans at a rate of about 30%. Also, consistent with the FHA’s modernization proposal to increase its loan limits, we find that increasing the limits on FHA loans could help to attract borrowers, mostly of home purchase loans, who are likely to be constrained by the lower-priced house limits. Our findings are generally in line with the recent increased flow of mortgages to FHA, and suggest that FHA loans could be the answer to the current subprime lending crisis.     

Developing and Implementing a Company's Eco-tourism Mission Statement: Treadsoftly Revisited

This report updates the paper on the development and implementation of a small company's eco-tourism mission statement published in Journal of Sustainable Tourism 7 (1), in 1999. Due to the company's solid, but flexible, planning it has survived its first years of operation and the owners continue to learn from their experiences and circumstances. Even though changes have been made to the original policy in order to adapt to commercial opportunities and to improve its environmental performance, the company continues to develop in a manner consistent with its core values.     

Reconsidering Union Activism and Its Meaning

Membership mobilization is widely regarded as critical for union revitalization. Estimates of the level of activism vary widely, and studies reveal puzzling inconsistencies between union members' beliefs and intentions. Drawing from Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, we address both issues using a sample of faculty union members. Results show both consistency and discrepancy between summary self‐reports of activism and specific participation behaviours, helping account for the widely varying estimates of activism levels found in other studies. Results also indicate an important role for perceived control, a factor rarely examined in prior research on activism.     

Risk-taking and relational perspective on turnover intentions

This study investigated risking-taking and network ties and their impact on an individual's intention to quit from a relational perspective. Using the social identity and social capital as the theoretical foundation, hypotheses were developed to examine how internal instrumental and external ties as well as ties with higher ranked individuals and their association with turnover intention. These hypotheses were empirically tested using data collected from 126 full-time employees in a Chinese setting. The results showed that high risk propensity was positively associated with turnover intention. Not only internal ties that binds, but external networking also matter in turnover decisions.