Showing papers on "Value (ethics) published in 2009"

How brand community practices create value

Abstract: Using social practice theory, this article reveals the process of collective value creation within brand communities. Moving beyond a single case study, the authors examine previously published research in conjunction with data collected in nine brand communities comprising a variety of product categories, and they identify a common set of value-creating practices. Practices have an “anatomy” consisting of (1) general procedural understandings and rules (explicit, discursive knowledge); (2) skills, abilities, and culturally appropriate consumption projects (tacit, embedded knowledge or how-to); and (3) emotional commitments expressed through actions and representations. The authors find that there are 12 common practices across brand communities, organized by four thematic aggregates, through which consumers realize value beyond that which the firm creates or anticipates. They also find that practices have a physiology, interact with one another, function like apprenticeships, endow participants ...

Doing Good or Doing Well? Image Motivation and Monetary Incentives in Behaving Prosocially

Abstract: Most charitable organizations depend on private contributions, in the form of monetary gifts, volunteer efforts, or other tangible contributions, such as blood donations. The magnitude of private contributions is impressive?in the United States 89 percent of households donate, aver? aging $1,620 per year, and 44 percent of US adults volunteer the equivalent of 9 million full time jobs (Independent Sector 2001). This level of prosocial behavior is striking in light of the economic incentive to free-ride in the provision of public goods. In order to elicit contributions, charitable organizations use many creative efforts to incentivize voluntary giving: wrist bands, thank-you gifts, organized walks, concerts, and advertised donors lists. The government also helps promote charitable giving by offering tax breaks for donations. The various types of charitable contributions and the many real-life ways of soliciting such donations suggest that there may be different motives for individuals to behave prosocially. These motives are roughly divisible into three broad categories: intrinsic, extrinsic, and image motiva? tion. Intrinsic motivation is the value of giving per se, represented by private preferences for others' well-being, such as pure altruism or other forms of prosocial preferences (for surveys, see Ernst Fehr and Klaus Schmidt 2003; Meier 2007). Extrinsic motivation is any material reward or benefit associated with giving, such as thank-you gestures and tax breaks. Image motivation, or signaling motivation, refers to an individual's tendency to be motivated partly by others' percep? tions. Image motivation therefore captures the rule of opinion in utility, i.e., the desire to be liked and respected by others and by one's self. If individuals are looking to gain social approval of their behavior, they should try to signal traits defined as "good" based on the community's norms

Who Am I and What Am I Going to Do With My Life? Personal and Collective Identities as Motivators of Action

Abstract: Who am I? What am I about? What is my place in my social group? What is important to me? What do I value? What do I want to do with my life? These are all questions related to what psychologists call identity. Many theorists have argued that we are driven to answer these questions, particularly during adolescence. In this article, I summarize an expectancy value perspective on identity and identity formation. Within this framework, identity can be conceptualized in terms of two basic sets of self perceptions: (a) perceptions related to skills, characteristics, and competencies, and (b) perceptions related to personal values and goals. Together these two sets of self perceptions inform both individuals’ expectations for success and the importance they attach to becoming involved in a wide range of tasks. Within this perspective, then, I focus on the role personal and collective identities can play on motivated action through their influence on expectations for success and subjective task values. I also discuss briefly how personality and collective identities develop over time.

Value-based segmentation of luxury consumption behavior

Abstract: Following a broader perspective in exploring customer perceptions of and motives for purchasing luxury brands, it is not sufficient to explain the whole picture of luxury consumption in terms of socially oriented consumer motives and the desire to impress others. The main contribution here is to explore a multidimensional framework of luxury value as a general basis for identifying value-based consumer segments. The empirical results can be seen as a first step toward a better understanding of consumers' luxury value perceptions as based on social, individual, functional, and financial aspects. ©2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Financial incentives and the "performance of crowds"

Abstract: The relationship between financial incentives and performance, long of interest to social scientists, has gained new relevance with the advent of web-based "crowd-sourcing" models of production. Here we investigate the effect of compensation on performance in the context of two experiments, conducted on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (AMT). We find that increased financial incentives increase the quantity, but not the quality, of work performed by participants, where the difference appears to be due to an "anchoring" effect: workers who were paid more also perceived the value of their work to be greater, and thus were no more motivated than workers paid less. In contrast with compensation levels, we find the details of the compensation scheme do matter---specifically, a "quota" system results in better work for less pay than an equivalent "piece rate" system. Although counterintuitive, these findings are consistent with previous laboratory studies, and may have real-world analogs as well.

Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean

Abstract: 1. Design-Driven Innovation. An introduction Part One: The Strategy of Design-Driven Innovation 2. Design and Meanings. Innovating by making sense of things 3. Radical Pushes. Placing design-driven innovation in the strategy of a firm 4. Technology Epiphanies. The interplay between technology-push and design-driven innovation 5. The Value and the Challenges. Why companies do or do not invest in design-driven innovation Part Two: The Process of Design-Driven Innovation 6. The Interpreters. Doing research with the design discourse 7. Listening. Finding and attracting key interpreters 8. Interpreting. Developing your own vision 9. Addressing. Leveraging the seductive power of the interpreters Part Three: Building Design-Driven Capabilities 10. The Design-Driven Lab. How to start 11. Businesspeople. The key role of top executives and their culture

Ecology without nature : rethinking environmental aesthetics

Abstract: In "Ecology without Nature", Timothy Morton argues that the chief stumbling block to environmental thinking is the image of nature that most writers on the topic promote: they propose a new worldview, but their very zeal to preserve the natural world leads them away from the "nature" they revere. The problem is a symptom of a far deeper situation - of accepting the idea of "ecology without nature". That is, to have a properly ecological view, we must relinquish, once and for all, the idea of nature. Developing a fresh vocabulary for reading "environmentality" in both content and form, Morton shows that representations of nature inevitably become metaphysical. Ranging widely in 18th to 20th Century literature, philosophy, culture, and the arts, Morton explores the value of art in imagining environmental conditions for the future. In short, the idea of nature has served much the same function in the modern period as the aesthetic has - that of healing what society has damaged; but as a result, unrealistic expectations have developed. Morton investigates our ecological assumptions in a way that is provocative and deeply engaging.

Marketing and Firm Value: Metrics, Methods, Findings, and Future Directions:

Abstract: The marketing profession is being challenged to assess and communicate the value created by its actions on shareholder value. These demands create a need to translate marketing resource allocations and their performance consequences into financial and firm value effects. The objective of this article is to integrate the existing knowledge on the impact of marketing on firm value. The authors first frame the important research questions on marketing and firm value and review the important investor response metrics and relevant analytical models as they relate to marketing. Next, they summarize the empirical findings to date on how marketing creates shareholder value, including the impact of brand equity, customer equity, customer satisfaction, research and development and product quality, and specific marketing-mix actions. Then, the authors review emerging findings on biases in investor response to marketing actions. They conclude by formulating an agenda for future research challenges in this em...

Knowledge in an Uncertain World

Abstract: Introduction 1. Fallibilism 2. Contextualism 3. Knowledge and Reasons 4. Justification 5. Belief 6. The Value and Importance of Knowledge 7. Infallibilism or Pragmatic Encroachment? Appendix I Conflicts with Bayesian Decision Theory? Appendix II Does KJ entail infallibilism? Glossary Bibliography

Engaging the Consumer: The Science and Art of the Value Creation Process

Abstract: Regulatory engagement theory [Higgins, E. T. (2006). Value from hedonic experience and engagement. Psychological Review, 113, 439-460.] proposes that value is a motivational force of attraction to or repulsion from something, and that strength of engagement contributes to value intensity independent of hedonic and other sources of value direction. This paper reviews different sources of engagement strength, including dealing with challenges by opposing interfering forces and overcoming personal resistance, preparing for something that is likely to happen, and using "fit" or "proper" means of goal pursuit. We present evidence that each of these sources of engagement strength can intensify the value of something, and we show how stronger engagement can not only make something positive more positive but also make something negative more negative. We also discuss how these effects of stronger engagement on the value of something else are independent of actors' own personal experiences during goal pursuit. We then broaden regulatory engagement theory by describing the nature of these personal experiences from different sources of engagement strength - distinct positive experiences (e.g., feeling "pleasure" vs. feeling "right") and distinct negative experiences (e.g., feeling "tension" vs. feeling "defiance") - and consider the science and art of combining them with engagement strength for maximal persuasion and influence.

Public Value Inside: What is Public Value Creation?

Abstract: The author develops building blocks for a non-normative public value theory. After a short overview of the rise of public value and challenges in defining public value, the constructs "value," "public," "public value," and "public value creation" are systematically introduced by drawing on a range of philosophical, psychological, and economic concepts. Psychological accounts are identified as the key to understand public value creation. Derived from needs theory, four basic public value dimensions are proposed and related to a public value landscape. Consequences of this re-conceptualization of public value are discussed with special emphasis of the public sector.

Counseling Psychology Research on Sexual (Orientation) Minority Issues: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: This lead article of the special issue discusses conceptual and methodological considerations in studying sexual minority issues, particularly in research conducted by counseling psychologists (including the work represented in this special issue). First, the overarching challenge of conceptualizing and defining sexual minority populations is described. Second, the importance and value of scholarship about sexual minority issues are highlighted. Third, challenges in sexual minority research are outlined, using the articles in this special issue for illustrative purposes, and suggestions are offered for consideration in future research. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which counseling psychologists are uniquely positioned to advance knowledge, practice, and social justice through research on sexual minority issues.

The Co-Evolution of Organizational Value Capture, Value Creation and Sustainable Advantage

Abstract: Despite much progress, scholarship on organizations and strategic management remains unduly reliant on economic models such as the industrial organization (IO) market structure-based analysis. The focus of such models is on price-output determination by firms and the economy-wide efficient allocation of scarce resources, under conditions of full knowledge and certainty. This limits their usefulness for students of organizations who have wider concerns and also focus on organizations, as opposed to just markets. In this article, we aim to provide a framework for analysing the most fundamental, even existential, issue of organization studies and strategic management scholarship. This is whether and how the pursuit of value capture from economic agents who perceive that they possess appropriable value creating advantages, capabilities and action potential, can motivate the emergence of organizations and their strategies and actions intended to capture socially co-created value in conditions of real life. To ...

Toward a unifying framework to support informal learning theory, research and practice

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this Guest Editorial is to introduce the papers in this special issue and outline how they help us to better understand the theory and practice of informal learning.Design/methodology/approach – The Guest Editorial provides an overview of the topics discussed in the special issue, focusing on teachers and schools, social workers, and knowledge management in academic and business settings.Findings – In practice informal and formal learning are often inextricably intertwined.Originality/value – The papers in this issue contribute to the search for a unifying framework to support theory, research and practice.

How do we assess how happy we are? Tenets, implications and tenability of three theories

Abstract: Utilitarian moral philosophy holds that we should aim at greater happiness for a greater number. Yet two theories about how we assess how happy we are imply that there is not much value in happiness and that happiness cannot de raised lastingly. These two theories are: (1) ‘Set-point’ theory, which holds that we are mentally programmed for a certain degree of happiness, and (2) ‘Comparison’ theory holding that happiness results from a rational mental calculus involving comparison with standard of the good life. An alternative mental theory that fit better with utilitarian creed is the (3) ‘Affect’ theory that happiness depends on unreasoned emotional experience, which reflects gratification of needs. These theories are described, their theoretical plausibility is discussed and the empirical support evaluated. It is concluded that the first two theories fall short as a general explanation. Happiness seems to be inferred from how we feel in the first place. Hence there is no reality ground for rejecting the greatest happiness principle as a moral lead.

Perceived effectiveness of text vs. multimedia Location-Based Advertising messaging

Abstract: The emergence of mobile communication and positioning technologies has presented advertisers and marketers with a radically innovative advertising channel: Location-Based Advertising (LBA). Despite the growing attention given to LBA, little is understood about the differential effects of text and multimedia advertising formats on the mobile consumer perceptions and behaviours. This exploratory study empirically examines the effects of multimedia advertisements vis-a-vis text-based advertisements on consumer perceptions and behaviours in a simulated LBA environment. A structural model was formulated to test their effects on consumer perceptions of entertainment, informativeness and irritation. Results show that multimedia LBA messages lead to more favourable attitude, increase the intention to use the LBA application, and have significant impact on purchase intention. Furthermore, this study indicates the role of multimedia as a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it suggests that multimedia impose a higher level of irritation; on the other hand, it suggests that multimedia enhance the informativeness and entertainment value of LBA. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Buying into conservation: intrinsic versus instrumental value

Abstract: Many conservation biologists believe the best ethical basis for conserving natural entities is their claimed intrinsic value, not their instrumental value for humans. But there is significant confusion about what intrinsic value is and how it could govern conservation decision making. After examining what intrinsic value is supposed to be, we argue that it cannot guide the decision making conservation requires. An adequate ethical basis for conservation must do this, and instrumental value does it best.

Happiness, freedom and control

Abstract: How do people value freedom of choice ? Drawing on economics and psychology the paper provides an hypothesis and empirical evidence on how individuals may value freedom of choice and derive utility from it. It is argued that the degree of perceived control that individuals have over choice – a construct known as the locus of control in psychology – regulates how we value freedom of choice. People who believe that the outcome of their actions depends on internal factors such as effort and skills (the ‘internals’) have a greater appreciation of freedom of choice than people who believe that the outcome of their actions depends on external factors such as fate or destiny (the ‘externals’). We find some evidence in support of this hypothesis using a combination of all rounds of the World and European Values Surveys. A variable that measures freedom of choice and the locus of control is found to predict life satisfaction better than any other known factor such as health, employment, income, marriage or religion, across countries and within countries. We show that this variable is not a proxy of happiness and measures well both freedom of choice and the locus of control. ‘Internals’ are found to appreciate freedom of choice more than ‘externals’ and to be happier. These findings have important implications for individual utility, social welfare and public policies.

Entrepreneurial Behavior: Its Nature, Scope, Recent Research, and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract: The end of all the cognition and motivation of entrepreneurs is to take some action in the world, and by doing so, give rise to a venture, an organization. Thoughts, intentions, motivations, learning, intelligence without action does not create economic value. The very nature of organizing is anchored in actions of individuals as they buy, sell, gather and deploy resources, work, etc. The values created by exploiting of opportunity undoubtedly include some that are intrapsychic and personal, but those we study, those of value to the readers of this book, are inherently interpersonal and social and thus observable and learnable. This chapter provides a brief overview of entrepreneurial behavior using a limited but hopefully representative lens on recent research. We call for more research on what entrepreneurs do and that this research be both more rigorous than what we currently have and also more creatively sourced.

The Oxford handbook of philosophy of emotion

Abstract: PART 1: WHAT EMOTIONS ARE PART 2: THE HISTORY OF EMOTION PART 3: EMOTIONS AND PRACTICAL REASON PART 4: EMOTIONS AND THE SELF PART 5: EMOTION, VALUE, AND MORALITY PART 6: EMOTION, ART, AND AESTHETICS

Co-creation of value — towards an expanded paradigm of value creation

Abstract: Co-creation is the process by which products, services, and experiences are developed jointly by companies and their stakeholders, opening up a whole new world of value. Firms must stop thinking of individuals as mere passive recipients of value, to whom they have traditionally delivered goods, services, and experiences. Instead, firms must seek to engage people as active co-creators of value everywhere in the system.

The limits of joined‐up government: towards a political analysis

Abstract: Joined-up government has featured prominently on the agenda of the New Labour government in the UK. However, the politics of joining-up remain under-explored, with disproportionate emphasis on the technical and managerial dimensions of the challenge. This paper argues that political value conflicts form an essential part of the explanation for the replication of 'silos' within city strategic partnerships, the joining-up institution of choice at the local scale. A study of the local politics of social inclusion in the British cities of Dundee and Hull revealed a strong partnership ethos. However, this ethos sustained only a shallow consensus over abstract goals, at the same time legitimating the avoidance of political value conflicts. Thematic partnerships comprising interest group clusters with different political values therefore tended to replicate silo practices. The paper argues, consequently, that the consensual partnership ethos caused the displacement of value conflicts, in turn causing fragmented governance. It concludes with three propositions for further research.

Informal Cross-Border Trade and Trade Facilitation Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: The informal sector still constitutes an important part of developing country economies. In Africa, it is estimated to represent 43 percent of official gross domestic product (GDP), thus being almost equivalent to the formal sector. While this phenomenon may provide short-term solutions to poor households, in the longer term, it can seriously challenge the economic development of African countries. This study explores one particular aspect of the informal economy, namely informal cross-border trade in selected Sub-Saharan African countries, and identifies which trade facilitation measures (such as those currently negotiated at the World Trade Organisation) have the potential to encourage traders to switch from informal to formal trade. The paper considers measures that help reduce direct and indirect trade transaction costs arising from mandatory import- and export-related procedures; mechanisms that simplify trade-related regulations and requirements for selected low value transactions; and policies that help enhance compliance levels with existing international trade regulations. In addition, the study explores a number of complementary measures (such as the provision of effective business support services to ?formal? traders and enhanced dialogue between traders and border agencies) which can further encourage firms to formalise their cross-border transactions. The paper does however not suggest that trade facilitation reform alone will help reduce informal cross-border trade nor that governments will be able to fully eliminate its incidence in the region.

Reliabilism and the Value of Knowledge

Abstract: 1. W EAK K NOWLEDGE I S M ERE T RUE B ELIEF It is a widely accepted doctrine in epistemology that knowledge has greater value than mere true belief. But although epistemologists regularly pay homage to this doctrine, evidence for it is shaky. Is it based on evidence that ordinary people on the street make evaluative comparisons of knowledge and true belief, and consistently rate the former ahead of the latter? Do they reveal such a preference by some sort of persistent choice behavior? Neither of these scenarios is observed. Rather, epistemologists come to this conclusion because they have some sort of conception or theory of what knowledge is, and they find reasons why people should rate knowledge, so understood, ahead of mere true belief. But what if these epistemological theories are wrong? Then the assumption that knowledge is more valuable than true belief might be in trouble. We don't wish to take a firm position against the thesis that knowledge is more valuable than true belief. But we begin this paper by arguing that there is one sense of 'know' under which the thesis cannot be right. In particular, there seems to be a sense of 'know' in which it means, simply, 'believe truly.' If this is correct, then knowledge—in this weak sense of the term—cannot be more valuable than true belief. What evidence is there for a weak sense of 'knowledge' in which it is equivalent to 'true belief'? Knowledge seems to contrast with ignorance. Not only do knowledge and ignorance contrast with one another but they seem to exhaust the alternatives, at least for a specified person and fact. Given a true proposition p, Diane either knows p or is ignorant of it. The same point can be expressed using rough synonyms of 'know.' Diane is either aware of (the fact that) p or is ignorant of it. She is either cognizant of po r ignorant of it. She eitherpossesses the information that p or she is uninformed (ignorant) of it. To illustrate these suggestions, consider a case discussed by John Hawthorne (2002). If I ask you how many people in the room know that Vienna is the capital of Austria, you will tally up the number of people in the room who possess the information that Vienna is the capital of Austria. Everyone in the room who

Multiple Forms of Value Learning and the Function of Dopamine

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes behavioral evidence for distinct value functions A classical economic notion of choice assumes that people evaluate options according to their expected utilities Human and animal actions, however, are not nearly so unitary Psychologists have long attempted to distinguish bona fide decisions from other behaviors, such as reflexes, that might only appear to be choice-like In one view, for an action to qualify as truly volitional or goal-directed it should depend on two factors, which echo the probability and utility of an outcome from the standard formula for expected utility The first is knowledge of the contingency between the action and some outcome; the second is the valuation of that outcome as a desirable goal A critical distinction between reflexive responses and goal-directed actions is that the latter are controlled by knowledge of their relationship to their consequences whereas the former are not Classic examples of reflexive responses that have a misleading veneer of choice-like goal-directedness about them can be found in simple conditioning situations