Recognizing consumerism as an “illness of an empty soul”: A catholic morality perspective

Catholics personalist authors have been always concerned about consumerism, which is considered a radical dissatisfaction that compulsively tries to fill the emptiness of the inner self. It is a form of idolatry where malls are modern cathedrals. What are the antecedents and consequences of this moral approach, inducing consumers’ engagement in anti-consumption behaviors? This conceptual paper updates the literature review about this research topic, acknowledging the thoughts written in encyclical letters of three Popes of Catholic Church: John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. This paper also proposes a new model of ethical decision-making model that aims to describe the implications of recognizing consumerism as a moral/spiritual issue according to the Catholic Church teaching. This paper provides useful insights into the influence of Catholic teaching on the adoption of anti-consumption behaviors.     

The growth of knowledge: Testing a theory of scientific revolutions with a formal model

Modern theories of science emphasize scientific revolutions rather than the traditional cumulative view of scientific progress. Thomas Kuhn, in particular, has formulated a theory of science based on the lifecycle of paradigms. Though Kuhn's theory is attractive, no calculus is offered by which the theory can be tested. This study tests the dynamic consistency of Kuhn's theory by formalizing the theory and testing it with a computer simulation model. The model plays the roles of the actors, tracing out the consequences of their day-to-day actions. Sensitivity tests are used to explore the importance of various hypotheses. Results show the theory to be dynamically consistent: The lifecycle of paradigms described by Kuhn can be accounted for by Kuhn's theory. Kuhn's theory thus passes a test to which few other theories of science have been subjected. The study shows how modeling can provide a method for testing theories even when those theories are stated entirely in qualitative terms, at a high level of abstraction, and in a context divorced from explicit dynamic analysis.     

Consumer power and market control: Exploring consumer behaviour in affluent contexts (1946–1980)

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to present and explain the emergence and decay of two unorthodox views of consumer behaviour that developed from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s: the view of the powerful consumer and the view of market control by producers. It begins by presenting their common origins in empirical studies that opposed the Keynesian-type analysis of consumption. While the first developed into the program of behavioural economics defended by George Katona of the Michigan Survey Research Center, the second nourished the contributions of authors like Galbraith (1958, 1967, 1977), Scitovsky (1954, 1962, 1976) and Mishan (1960, 1967).     

Branch plant location and the product cycle in computer manufacturing

This paper examines the implications of changes in product and process technology in the computer industry for the regional location pattern of production facilities. Emphasis is placed on the different locational needs of research and development activities as opposed to volume production of components. Using establishment data, the existing pattern of location is analyzed. A location model for branch plants is estimated across SMSAs; the results show that SMSA size and wage rates are repelling forces for branches. Agglomeration factors, educational level, and the supply of engineers, as well as the distance to headquarters, are positive influences on location.Manufacturing employment in the United States has grown faster outside than inside the traditional manufacturing belt for decades (Carlino 1984); this trend has accelerated in recent years. Causes of this redistribution may include surplus farm labor in the South (Cogan 1982), an attractive climate in the West, and unionization and high taxes in the North. Changes in product and process technology have also affected the location of some industries. This paper attempts to show how technology and the product life cycle influence the location of computer manufacturing.     

Perceived situational effects on price sensitivity

In this article, the multidimensionality of price as perceived by members of a consumer panel is examined. Respondents are first classified as price-sensitive or non-price-sensitive with respect to a durable and a nondurable product. Several dimensions of price are then described within the framework of brand purchase decision situations, and consumer evaluations of the importance of each situational dimension are measured. Dimensions perceived as important by price-sensitive persons are different from those considered important by non-price-sensitive consumers. Variations exist in the importance of price dimensions based on type of product.     

杜威的德育思想以及对我国学校道德教育的启示

杜威教育思想体系中,德育思想占有重要的地位,他认为道德教育应该生活化,教材应与社会生活连接在一起,研究社威的德育思想对我国学校德育的实施具有一定的借鉴价值。     

当代英国园林的促进者——英国园艺家约翰·C·洛顿的研究

18—19世纪是英国园艺发展的重要时期,一方面是“大发现”带来园艺物种的剧增,另一方面是民主化进程的启动。洛顿首先推动园艺界对时代的适应,大量编纂百科全书式园艺书籍和专业期刊。其次,由于专业书籍与期刊的发行,推动了民众环境意识的发展,开启了英国园艺平民化的运动,使得园艺成为日常生活中的重要组成部分。同时借助公众的园艺热情,洛顿顺势推动了现代公园的发展,间接促进了现代风景园林专业诞生。试图通过从理论、实践与工艺改造等层面勾勒出洛顿对英国园艺事业发展的巨大历史功绩。