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Article
Publication date: 1 October 1992

John Conway O'Brien

Schmoller reserves his admiration for those entrepreneurs whosucceeded in the acquisition of wealth but whose primary goal wasthe promotion of the public interest. Such…

Abstract

Schmoller reserves his admiration for those entrepreneurs who succeeded in the acquisition of wealth but whose primary goal was the promotion of the public interest. Such individuals as List, Steiner, Geibel, Abbe and von Mevissen are of this sort. Schmoller is lavish in his praise of them. Schmoller is critical of the natural economy of Adam Smith where each individual is activated by his own self‐interest. Schmoller sees in the higher law a guide to human behaviour. Moneymakers are not necessarily men of great talent. For this reason Schmoller prefers the man who is driven by the pursuit of idealistic goals. Schmoller′s historical approach to the political economy, one shared by some in the Western world, is to be contrasted with the view that the best type of social order permits the individual to pursue his self‐interest and that such a pursuit is in keeping with the social interest.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 19 no. 10/11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 July 2000

Clem Tisdell

Outlines and analyses critically the changing nature of the administration and management of universities, particularly in Australia. Special attention is given to the emerging…

1278

Abstract

Outlines and analyses critically the changing nature of the administration and management of universities, particularly in Australia. Special attention is given to the emerging corporate and commercial character of universities, taking into account principles of economic management. Changes in economics as taught at university‐level are discussed along with the declining status of many economics departments. Strategies which I have used to counteract threats to university economics are outlined. Just as globalisation has been increasingly stressed in recent years as an imperative for business, it has become a dominant theme of Australian universities, partly for commercial reasons. This “new” emphasis is, however, ironic, as explained. Following some critical comments on the approaches of Australian universities to internationalization, the essay outlines some of my substantial international activities in the last two years.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 27 no. 7/8/9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1985

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains…

12675

Abstract

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

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Management Decision, vol. 23 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1991

John Conway O'Brien

It is shown that the destination of communists can never bereached. The goal of the perfect society is one which lies beyond thepowers of human nature. The analytical teachings of…

Abstract

It is shown that the destination of communists can never be reached. The goal of the perfect society is one which lies beyond the powers of human nature. The analytical teachings of Marxism were accepted by Lenin who devoted himself to the implementation of them in a Russian setting and thereby creating a socialist society. The Party was the dictatorship of the proletariat and not averse to the use of force. Stalin sought to create the centrally planned economy with a mailed fist and became a self‐appointed dictator at the same time as he paid lip service to the Marxist‐Leninist ideology. Solzhenitsyn decries the evils of the USSR and attributes them to the evils of the Marxist‐Leninist ideology. Gorbachev, alive to the shortcomings of the socialist society and the dangers of a nuclear war has, unlike his predecessors, assumed the role of diplomat and peacemaker. Communism is still bent on world domination.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 18 no. 5/6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2001

John Conway O’Brien

The purpose of this paper is to re‐examine the views of Freud in his Civilization and its Discontents and compare his idea of civilization with that of other scholars in order to…

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to re‐examine the views of Freud in his Civilization and its Discontents and compare his idea of civilization with that of other scholars in order to determine if we will ever be able to create a society which will endure in these days of nuclear power. The dangers to humanity are great, the solution difficult to see. Freud emphasized self‐interest and aggressiveness as the failings in man which would lead to the collapse of civilization, summed up in the Latin tag: homo homine lupus. Freud rejected out of hand religion as a remedy for man’s aggressiveness. This view of civilization is compared with that of Albert Schweitzer in his The Philosophy of Civilization. Schweitzer sees the enduring society as one in which man has become ethical and thereby dedicated himself to the good of society and in so doing shows a reverence for life. This study then examines the view of Ortega y Gasset, who finds in The Revolt of the Masses the success of society to lie in the efforts of men of talent, select men who have dedicated themselves to the advancement of society in accordance with the old adage, noblesse oblige. Finally we examine the Civilisation of Kenneth Clark, which is concerned with man’s development in the arts as he removes himself farther and farther from the state of the savage. The views of Arnold Toynbee on civilization are examined. Toynbee finds that our civilization, Western Christendom, will play an ever decreasing role in the global society. Toynbee also fears the coming of a nuclear holocaust but is confident there will be survivors. The possibility of a nuclear war attests the aggressiveness of man. Finally, to illustrate the evil effects of nuclear power, a brief glance is taken at the horrors that overtook the citizens of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when they were the targets of the atomic bomb in 1945. The only feasible solution to this grave problem appears to be a nuclear‐weapon‐free world. Even then the world is not safe from the aggressive nature of some rogue nation which seeks to take advantage of such a situation and dominate the world. This contingency is commonly referred to as the genie is out of the bottle. The number of genies increased when North Korea, India and Pakistan claimed the addition of nuclear weapons to their arsenal. Man has to control his fellow man’s urge to advance his self‐interest at any cost, if we are to endure. As Freud in his perspicacity put it: homo homine lupus.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 28 no. 5/6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1995

John Conway O′Brien

Puts forward the view that the atrocities committed in thetwentieth century, particularly in Germany and the Union of SovietSocialist Republics, were due to widespread acceptance…

374

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Puts forward the view that the atrocities committed in the twentieth century, particularly in Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, were due to widespread acceptance of the Stoic doctrine that man was the measure of all things, a doctrine made popular by scholars of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Discusses the move from belief in original sin, a Supreme Being and the imperfection of man to man as essentially good and self‐perfectible, directed by his own reason. Highlights the effects of Communism and National Socialism and the rejection of traditional morality in favour of secular humanism. Concludes that this move led to the worst atrocities known to man. Advocates a return to the law of nature, a code of morality and the “moral compass” of religion which has perdured the test of time.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 22 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1995

John Conway O′Brien

Discusses the ideas and theories of Professor F.A. Hayek andassesses their relevance to present day social economics. Opens with thetheory of business‐cycles and compares Hayek′s…

220

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Discusses the ideas and theories of Professor F.A. Hayek and assesses their relevance to present day social economics. Opens with the theory of business‐cycles and compares Hayek′s ideas with those of Keyne′s in this area. Follows on with dynamic market theory and the theory of evolution of social institutes. Concludes with a summary of all three expanding their legacy – that they are models for future research.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1994

John Conway O′Brien

The belief in the endless progress of men materially and morally has notstood the test of time. The wars and atrocities of the twentieth centuryhave shown that evil resides within…

328

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The belief in the endless progress of men materially and morally has not stood the test of time. The wars and atrocities of the twentieth century have shown that evil resides within man himself. Discusses the role of Darwinism and science; despite much criticism, the evolutionists continue to ride high in the fields of education and science. The gradual displacement of religion as a subject worthy of study has now reached its zenith. Discusses the Nazi Holocaust and the Gulag Obletion. Solzhenitsyn attributed all the evils of Soviet Communism to Marxist‐Leninist ideology and the rejection of traditional religion and moral values. Concludes that Western society is like a ship without a rudder.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 21 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

John Conway O’Brien

Solzhenitsyn, former Zek and Nobel Laureate, found the causes of thecruelty of which the Communists were capable to lie in theMarxist‐Leninist ideology. The atheistic Communists…

499

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Solzhenitsyn, former Zek and Nobel Laureate, found the causes of the cruelty of which the Communists were capable to lie in the Marxist‐Leninist ideology. The atheistic Communists had substituted their ideology for the values of Christianity which had stood the Russians in good stead and had perdured the test of time. The Communists were bent on stamping out religion. They arrested priests, nuns and those who practised their beliefs. Solzhenitsyn sees in religion the anodyne to Russia′s ills.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 21 no. 2/3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 1 July 1997

Clem Tisdell

Begins by considering whether the economic theory of the supply, nature and demand for biographies developed by James M. Buchanan and Robert Tollison might apply to this…

Abstract

Begins by considering whether the economic theory of the supply, nature and demand for biographies developed by James M. Buchanan and Robert Tollison might apply to this autobiography. Outlines Tisdell’s experiences in his pre‐school years (1939‐1945), at school (1946‐1956) and as a university student (1957‐1963). Covers the period of his first appointment as a temporary lecturer at the Australian National University (1964) and of his postdoctoral travelling scholarship (1965) which took him to Princeton and Stanford and the period of his employment from 1966 onwards. His family and its history are given particular attention.

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International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 24 no. 7/8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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11 – 20 of 93