Which Companies Benefit from Liberalization? a Study of the Influence of Initial Productivity

Theoretical research shows that competition has positive effects on productivity, for companies that are initially efficient, but not for unproductive firms. Our empirical analysis on a panel data of Czech companies, years 1995–2004, confirms this result. In addition, our analysis shows that when economic reforms affect both domestic and foreign competition, controlling for domestic competition is crucial when assessing the impact of trade liberalization. Otherwise, the effect of trade liberalization on firm productivity is upward biased.     

Onto-Epistemological and Theoretical Engagements Through Praxis and Beyond: Comfort,Crises, Shifts,and Re-Groupings

In 2014, Berbary and Boles challenged our field to think critically about onto-epistemological and macro theoretical underpinnings of leisure research. In particular, the call was made to understand how researchers position themselves, their participants, and their research processes within particular frames or paradigms that attend differently to notions such as truth, power, subjectivity, rationality, language, and representation. Recognizing our own desires to promote and engage such praxis, we try to not just write about our practices of theorizing, but rather to illuminate the potential shared embodied turmoil that might ensue when one takes the time and space to read theory, read thoroughly, and engage deliberately. Therefore, using Kuhn's scaffolding of scientific revolutions, in this article we share our own experiences navigating our adventures through onto-epistemological and theoretical frameworks in order to acknowledge the difficulties of engaging with multiple paradigms of praxis.     

For Those to Come: An Introduction to Why Posthumanism Matters

Abstract

As the introduction to the special issue of Leisure Sciences dedicated to interdisciplinary theorizations and practices productively informed by our posthuman predicament and currents within posthumanist thought, this article sets the stage, tone, and itinerary for a series of articles examining the various potentials posthumanism affords. As such, we attempt to connect multiple ways posthumanism may be taken up with key concepts, linguistic identifiers, and onto-epistemological shifts that may open upon important differences in how we live, think, and relate with human and nonhuman entities. Resisting melancholic laments at the failures of humanism, we urge for an affirmative, upbeat, and visionary approach to set a different trajectory for our future. This article is intended to serve as a point of departure for scholars desiring to experiment with what posthumanism can do to generate changes and accelerations for a more humane, if not less human-centric, future.     

The contributions of interpreters to the development of radical innovations of meanings: the role of ‘Pioneering Projects’ in the sustainable buildings industry

Studies of innovation management have often focused on two domains: technologies and markets. An ever‐increasing standard of living is pushing companies to develop products and services that are not only profitable but also socially responsible. Sustainable housing offers an intriguing empirical setting that allows the investigation of new processes able to support innovations that must be both profitable and socially responsible. Energy‐efficient houses not only require technological changes (new sustainable energy technologies) but also require behavioural changes in consumers' attitudes, decisions and practices about living in sustainable houses. Companies are not only innovative in regard to their own product but apply the entire system of application with which their specific technologies interact. The development of Pioneering Projects requires many skills and competencies that often exceed the capacity and competencies of a single company. In other words, Pioneering Projects are testing grounds for experimentation, where unconventional, temporary partnerships of stakeholders from different industries unite in the development of real market applications. The paper addresses the value of key interpreters in facilitating the development of radical innovations of meanings in the sustainable buildings industry. Specifically, the paper analyses the ability to create value for the Pioneering Projects from the exploration and knowledge diversity of the interpreters and the impact that Pioneering Projects have on the companies' outcomes. Empirical data about Pioneering Projects were collected from two manufacturing companies in Denmark: DOVISTA and Saint‐Gobain Isover.