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1 – 10 of over 5000Individuality (a desire for differentiation and a behaviour of non‐conformity) appears to be a motivation for the adoption of fashion innovation. However, the concept of…
Abstract
Individuality (a desire for differentiation and a behaviour of non‐conformity) appears to be a motivation for the adoption of fashion innovation. However, the concept of individuality is bi‐dimensional with a desire for differentiation and a tendency towards independence. An individual who is independent is aware of social norms but not affected by them and hence docs not necessarily show fashion innovativeness. This study examines the bi‐dimensional concept of individuality and investigates its relationship to fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership. Data were obtained from 461 female college students. Factor analysis divided individuality into two dimensions: differentiation and independence. Differentiation was more related to fashion innovativeness than was independence. Fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership were correlated. Differentiation had a direct effect on fashion innovativeness while independence showed no significant effect. Differentiation and fashion innovativeness affected opinion leadership in the same magnitude, but independence showed a slightly negative effect. The results imply that the application of individuality, particularly, differentiation to fashion promotion and marketing strategies would be profitable.
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This paper argues that since the utility function representation of the individual is derived from standard rationality theory, the view that rationality is bounded implies that…
Abstract
This paper argues that since the utility function representation of the individual is derived from standard rationality theory, the view that rationality is bounded implies that individuality should be seen to be bounded as well. The meaning of this idea is developed in terms of two ways in which individuality is bounded, with one bound associated with bounded rationality in Kahneman and Tversky’s prospect theory and another bound associated with bounded rationality in Simon’s thinking. The two bounds on individuality are argued to be employed in agent-based modeling and social identity theory. How bounded individuality might be formally modeled is illustrated in an account of Kirman’s Marseille fish market analysis.
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This philosophical paper explores why people have so much trouble understanding, coping with and managing change. It looks behind the problem to try to understand its origins. It…
Abstract
This philosophical paper explores why people have so much trouble understanding, coping with and managing change. It looks behind the problem to try to understand its origins. It provides an account of human nature that suggests people are “naturally” capable of coping with change but that we have forgotten how to do so because of our intellectual history. It suggests the pervasive influence of scientific paradigms and rationalism has turned us into conformists who are afraid to trust our own individual experiences and who rely on others to validate them and tell us how to respond. Change makes it difficult to conform because we do not know on whom to rely for validation; we do not know which paradigm is “right.” This paper suggests some current management remedies respond to this conformity problem but others may exacerbate it. It offers its philosophical analysis as a tool to interpret and evaluate such remedies from a fresh perspective.
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Yuan-yan Hu, Peng Wang, Xin-qiang Wang and Tian-qiang Hu
Despite concerns about the effect of internet addiction, little is known about how psychological suzhi impacts the internet addiction of college students. This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite concerns about the effect of internet addiction, little is known about how psychological suzhi impacts the internet addiction of college students. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between psychological suzhi and internet addiction among college students.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the college student psychological suzhi scale and internet addiction test, 2,070 college students from 11 universities in North China, East China, South China and Southwest China were tested.
Findings
The detection rate of internet addiction in this college sample of students was 18.8%. There was a significant negative correlation between students’ psychological suzhi and internet addiction (r = −0.408, p < 0.01). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that adaptability and individuality in psychological suzhi significantly negatively predicted college students’ internet addiction tendency (p < 0.001).
Originality/value
This study is the first to show a relationship between psychological suzhi and internet addiction in college students. In detail, the adaptability and individuality of college students’ psychological suzhi are protective factors related to internet addiction. The results also suggested that the authors can prevent and intervene in internet addiction by modifying college students’ adaptability and individuality.
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Mats Alvesson and Dan Kärreman
This chapter discusses professional service firms as collectivities. Collectivity refers to the interface between the social and the cultural. It is a ‘social unit’; however, it…
Abstract
This chapter discusses professional service firms as collectivities. Collectivity refers to the interface between the social and the cultural. It is a ‘social unit’; however, it is defined through the meanings, definitions and distinctions of the people involved. This chapter addresses the cultural and processual aspects on collectivity. Eight dimensions of collectivity are highlighted. Two case studies of consultancy companies illustrate these dimensions as well as different forms of collectivities. This chapter also addresses the interplay between foci on individuality and collectivity in organizations.
S. J. Oswald A. J. Mascarenhas
This first chapter explores the basic foundation of corporate ethics: the human person in all its dignity and mystery, its corporeality and emotionality, and its cognitive and…
Abstract
Executive Summary
This first chapter explores the basic foundation of corporate ethics: the human person in all its dignity and mystery, its corporeality and emotionality, and its cognitive and volitive capacities of moral development. Four fundamental characteristics of the human person, namely individuality, sociality, immanence, and transcendence, will be examined for their potential to understand, live, experience, and witness corporate ethics and morals. We explore the profound meaning and mystery of human personhood invoking several philosophies of the good and human dignity as exposed by Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas in the West, by the doctrine of Dharma in the East as expounded by Gautama Buddha, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita, and by Prophets Confucius and Tao, in the East. Several contemporary cases of great human personhood are analyzed: for example, Peace Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela from South Africa (1993) and Peace Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo from China (2017) – cases of human abuse that turned into triumphs of human dignity.
The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Vivekananda, in his quest for sustained human development, explores a new generation of humanity by combining some of the active and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Vivekananda, in his quest for sustained human development, explores a new generation of humanity by combining some of the active and heroic personality elements of the West with the meditative and yogic personality skills of the East.
Design/methodology/approach
Because of Vivekananda’s pioneering efforts in the last decade of the 19th century, ancient India’s Vedânta philosophy of human life, along with the Yoga system, has now become a common heritage of all mankind. Vivekananda’s assertion that a human being is potentially divine – one of the major tenets of ancient India’s Vedânta philosophy – has been used as the philosophical foundation of sustained human development.
Findings
A psycho-physical human being’s initial individuality could be developed towards a psycho-social personality with its manifold existence by manifesting the aesthetic, ethical, heroic and spiritual possibilities lying hidden in an individual person.
Originality/value
Persons with different degrees of higher assimilative qualities create different personalities. A psycho-social personality could lead to the path of sustained human development essentially by controlling its mind.
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Despite the recent increase in vegetarian food consumption, studies on this topic have focused on the product category. Based on the functional theory of attitude and the…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the recent increase in vegetarian food consumption, studies on this topic have focused on the product category. Based on the functional theory of attitude and the cognitive–affective–conative framework, this study investigates the impact of customer individuality (i.e. uniqueness and level of self-monitoring) on cognitive attitude (i.e. social-function attitudes), which leads to conative attitude (i.e. behavioral intentions) via affective attitudes toward vegetarian restaurants.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample (n = 176) comprises experienced vegetarian restaurant customers in the USA. Multi-group analysis is used to examine differences between vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers, as well as customers' low and high frequency in visiting vegetarian restaurants.
Findings
Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, this study finds the relative impact of customers' personal traits on self-expressive and social-adjustive functions. Results highlight the role of the social-adjustive function as an antecedent of affective attitudes leading to positive behavioral intentions. Last, the findings from a multi-group analysis show that customer self-monitoring is the only significant antecedent of a cognitive attitude among vegetarian customers.
Originality/value
The present study adds to the literature regarding trait attributes and corresponding cognitive, affective and conative attitudes in the context of the vegetarian food service industry.
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Hung-Cheng Tsai and Yuan-Chin Hsu
It is desirable that shape appeal in craft design takes people's cultural and emotional influencers into consideration. Five Royal Lords worship, prevalent in the southwest…
Abstract
Purpose
It is desirable that shape appeal in craft design takes people's cultural and emotional influencers into consideration. Five Royal Lords worship, prevalent in the southwest coastal part of Taiwan and a source of religious and spiritual support to the local residents, offers such a shape appeal. This study takes the design of Taiwan's cultural handicrafts as the main point of discussion and uses Kansei engineering with semantic technique to promote the linkage between shape and the mental image of the Five Royal Lords' headwear. There are only two types of traditional headwear for the Five Royal Lords: the Imperial Crown and Lord Crown, despite the different personal characteristics of the five deities. This study aims to design a crown for each that matches their individuality.
Design/methodology/approach
In the first stage of the research process, the Kawakita Jiro method was used to arrive at appropriate descriptions representative of the deities' individuality. Fuzzy set theory was then applied to convert the relationship between the representative descriptions and headwear shape features into a quantitative one, after which the headwear could be redesigned and validated.
Findings
The study results show that: (1) analysis of the relationship between shape features and representative deity descriptions offered guidance to the redesign. (2) A method combining fuzzy theory and description terms could generate quantitative data that helped to provide design suggestions and result validation, supporting both scientific rationality and designers' sensibility. (3) The validation revealed that the redesigned headwear was better than the original headwear.
Originality/value
The study successfully established a design and development process featuring collaboration by folklore experts, designers, craftspeople and worshippers, and helping to promote new cultural product development. The success of the research process can serve as a reference to the development of other different products with shape features.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the symbolic forms used in selected mainstream management models and to assess whether it would be expedient for enforcing the connection…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the symbolic forms used in selected mainstream management models and to assess whether it would be expedient for enforcing the connection between leadership and individual human reality if such management models were fundamentally inspired by a successful manager and artist.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical starting point of this article is Cassirer's philosophy on symbolic forms. The paper analyses the symbolic forms embedded in the management discourse practice of art in the way that the concept is practiced by Kasper Holten, the highly successful Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera.
Findings
The analysis shows that conventional management control models are rooted in the symbolic form of science, but are at risk of getting caught in assumptions of the form gliding into the symbolic form of religion and myth, where all the forms tend to oppress essential aspects of individuality. Kasper Holten integrates the symbolic forms of art and science, which makes him capable of binding to the individual's life‐world.
Research limitations/implications
Analysing Kasper Holten's views on management reveals features and structures for a new management discourse practice which is far better suited to most of the knowledge jobs in contemporary society than the more conventional management discourse.
Originality/value
The paper provides novel insight into the interrelationship between the specific way of using language and the way of managing and constructing a world. It paves the way for another way of doing management control and accounting.
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