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The purpose of the work is to study the essence of conflict as an economic category through the prism of the existing conceptual issues.

The authors use the systemic approach for comprehensive, structured, and dynamic study of socio-economic systems. Within this approach, the method of classification is used, with the help of which the existing conceptual approaches to treatment of the essence of conflict as an economic category are determined and limited, and the method of comparative analysis, with the help of which the distinguished approaches are compared to each other. The information and analytical basis of the research is materials of the works of international authors on the issues of conceptual study of the essence of conflict as an economic category.

As a result of the research, it is determined that conflict – as an economic category – is described in detail by the concepts of the modern economic theory (e.g., the concept of state regulation of economy, the concept of innovations, and the concept of economic cycles) and is the object of a lot of research. At the same time, conflict – as an economic category – is studied fragmentarily within three alternative approaches – inter-subject, adaptive, and crisis, each of which focuses on a certain manifestation of conflict in economy: contradiction of interests of economic subjects with their interaction, lack of desire of economic subjects to adapt to changes, and failure in the socio-economic system. Within each of the above conceptual approaches to treatment of the essence of conflict as an economic category, reasons and consequences of conflicts are given, and specific managerial tools are offered.

Systemic study of conflict as an economic category, which unified all distinguished approaches, allowed determining conflict as a negative reaction of the economic system or its economic subjects to changes in economic reality, which is expressed at all levels of this system and is subject to management. The offered definition allows specifying the essence of the conflict of economic category and ensuring its systemic research.

The relationship between ontology, realism, and normativity is complex and contentious. While naturalist and realist stances have tended to ground questions of normativity in ontology and accounts of human nature, critical theories have been critical of the relationship between ontological and normative projects. Queer theory in particular has been critical of ontological endeavors. Exploring the problem of normativity and ontology, this paper will make the case that the critical realist ontology of open systems and complex, contingent, conjunctural causation deeply resonates with queer theory, generating a queer ontology that both allows for and undermines ontological and normative projects.

The ‘Essence of Wine’ is the largest wine event that is held in Porto, Portugal. Therefore, this chapter explains how the tourists (domestic and foreign visitors), as well as local residents and exhibitors can influence the level of satisfaction of the event. The authors discuss about the tourists’ satisfaction. They suggest that satisfied tourists would be interested in returning to the event in the following years. In conclusion, this contribution implies that the loyal visitors and their positive publicity of the ‘Essence of Wine’ can improve the brand image of the event and of the destination.

Purpose: The purpose of the work is to study the essence and to determine the algorithm and methodology of decision making as a choice of the existing alternatives according to the scientific approach to this process of management of modern business systems.

Methodology: The research is conducted with the help of the method of process analysis, which allows determining the stages of the process of decision making in modern business systems and determining its algorithm; the method of formalization, which allows presenting the obtained algorithm; and the method of comparative analysis, which allows comparing the existing methods of decision making as a choice of the existing alternatives.

Conclusions: As a result of generalization and systematization of the existing scientific knowledge in the sphere of managerial decisions in modern business systems and reconsideration (logical analysis) of this process, its algorithm is compiled. Four stages of the algorithm of making of managerial decisions in modern business systems are distinguished – determining the needs of business system for managerial decisions, determining the possibilities of business system in making of managerial decisions, compiling alternative variants of managerial decisions, and implementation of the made managerial decision and further evaluation of its optimality. Also, methodological tools of each stage are determined.

Originality/value: The developed algorithm possesses the following advantages as compared to the existing scientific descriptions of this process: completeness, complex solution of the problems of the business system through managerial decisions, connection of the methodology of managerial decisions to each stage of the algorithm, and systemic character of the methodology of decision making as a choice of the existing alternatives.

In this paper, I compare Theodore Schatzki’s practice theory, the existential phenomenology of Martin Heidegger upon whom Schatzki drew in its formation, and my own theory of institutional logics which I have sought to develop as a religious sociology of institution. I examine how Schatzki and I both differently locate our thinking at the level of practice. In this essay I also explore the possibility of appropriating Heidegger’s religious ontology of worldhood, which Schatzki rejects, in that project. My institutional logical position is an atheological religious one, poly-onto-teleological. Institutional logics are grounded in ultimate goods which are praiseworthy “objects” of striving and practice, signifieds to which elements of an institutional logic have a non-arbitrary relation, sources of and references for practical norms about how one should have, make, do or be that good, and a basis of knowing the world of practice as ordered around such goods. Institutional logics are constellations co-constituted by substances, not fields animated by values, interests or powers.

Because we are speaking against “values,” people are horrified at a philosophy that ostensibly dares to despise humanity’s best qualities. For what is more “logical” than that a thinking that denies values must necessarily pronounce everything valueless? Martin Heidegger, “Letter on Humanism” (2008a, p. 249).

Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior of E-payment systems that employ smart card technology becomes a research area that is of particular value and interest to both IS researchers and professionals. However, research interest focuses mostly on why a smart card-based E-payment system results in a failure or how the system could have grown into a success. This signals the fact that researchers have not had much opportunity to critically review a smart card-based E-payment system that has gained wide support and overcome the hurdle of critical mass adoption. The Octopus in Hong Kong has provided a rare opportunity for investigating smart card-based E-payment system because of its unprecedented success. This research seeks to thoroughly analyze the Octopus from technology adoption behavior perspectives.

Cultural impacts on adoption behavior are one of the key areas that this research posits to investigate. Since the present research is conducted in Hong Kong where a majority of population is Chinese ethnicity and yet is westernized in a number of aspects, assuming that users in Hong Kong are characterized by eastern or western culture is less useful. Explicit cultural characteristics at individual level are tapped into here instead of applying generalization of cultural beliefs to users to more accurately reflect cultural bias. In this vein, the technology acceptance model (TAM) is adapted, extended, and tested for its applicability cross-culturally in Hong Kong on the Octopus. Four cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede are included in this study, namely uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and Confucian Dynamism (long-term orientation), to explore their influence on usage behavior through the mediation of perceived usefulness.

TAM is also integrated with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to borrow two constructs in relation to innovative characteristics, namely relative advantage and compatibility, in order to enhance the explanatory power of the proposed research model. Besides, the normative accountability of the research model is strengthened by embracing two social influences, namely subjective norm and image. As the last antecedent to perceived usefulness, prior experience serves to bring in the time variation factor to allow level of prior experience to exert both direct and moderating effects on perceived usefulness.

The resulting research model is analyzed by partial least squares (PLS)-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The research findings reveal that all cultural dimensions demonstrate direct effect on perceived usefulness though the influence of uncertainty avoidance is found marginally significant. Other constructs on innovative characteristics and social influences are validated to be significant as hypothesized. Prior experience does indeed significantly moderate the two influences that perceived usefulness receives from relative advantage and compatibility, respectively. The research model has demonstrated convincing explanatory power and so may be employed for further studies in other contexts. In particular, cultural effects play a key role in contributing to the uniqueness of the model, enabling it to be an effective tool to help critically understand increasingly internationalized IS system development and implementation efforts. This research also suggests several practical implications in view of the findings that could better inform managerial decisions for designing, implementing, or promoting smart card-based E-payment system.

The purpose of this chapter is to study the conceptual provisions of the theory of information economy and to determine its notion and essence.

The research methodology is based on the application of traditional methods of economic science, including the methods of systemic, problem, and comparative analysis, method of analysis of causal connections, systematization, classification, and formalization of scientific data.

The authors systematize the existing conceptual provisions of the theory of information economy and classify the conceptual approaches to its study as process approach, resulting approach, and combined approach; a comparative analysis of these approaches is also conducted.

The authors conclude that the evolutional development of modern socio-economic systems is dominated by the information economy concept, which should be the basis of the future developmental model of the global economic system. This concept develops within the combined approach, based on the previous concepts of digital economy and internet economy, which is a part of the process approach proclaiming technological capital, the key factor of reproduction, by focusing on the development of socio-economic systems and the concept of knowledge economy, which is a part of the resulting approach that emphasizes human capital and innovations as a target result of the development of economic systems. The information economy concept includes the features of previous concepts, emphasizes the importance of technological and human capital, applies information and communication technologies, and achieves results that are connected to highly effective creation, storage, distribution, and usage of information. It also supplemented them with a new sense of proclaiming information on the most valuable resources as well as provision of free and continuous interaction of economic subjects – the highest priority of socio-economic systems.

Purpose – We examine the meanings of objects that have indexical (or direct first-hand) connections to celebrities. In so doing, we distinguish between the meanings of proximal indexicality versus contagious indexicality. We reveal how these disparate meanings are linked to how consumers use a celebrity object, either by displaying the object or by using the object as the celebrity had originally used the object.

Methodology – Our informants were consumers participating in sales of celebrity-owned items. Data include videotaped depth interviews, photographs of auction participants and celebrity objects, field notes, and auction catalogue descriptions.

Findings – Some consumers were fans who desired to be close to the celebrity, while others participating in celebrity-object auctions desired to become a celebrity themselves. Those that desired to be close to the celebrity (fans) were attracted to the proximal indexical meaning of the object, in which an indexical link conveyed a perceived closeness between the perceiver and the signified (e.g., consumer and celebrity) through the indexically linked object. Those that desired to become a celebrity themselves were attracted to the contagious indexical meaning of the object which facilitates a perceived contamination of the perceiver (e.g., consumer) by the essence of the signified (e.g., celebrity) through the indexically linked object.

Contributions – We contribute to the Peircian semiotic framework as used in consumer research by differentiating between the meanings of proximal indexicality and contagious indexicality. We show these meanings are linked to consumers’ display use versus the original use of the celebrity-owned object.

This essay introduces the first translation of Schumpeter’s article Entrepreneur, originally published in 1928. We describe the background of Entrepreneur and use new archival sources to situate the article in time. Entrepreneur marks a transition of Schumpeter’s conception of entrepreneurship that took place between 1911 and 1926. Entrepreneur also contains Schumpeter’s most profound vision on economic selection, a vision that Schumpeter never elaborated further. We consider the most important implications of the new material in Entrepreneur and the reasons for the apparent shift in Schumpeter’s thought.