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Focuses on the issue of increasing environmental and societal complexity, and its effects on the individual, especially visible in the increase of self‐reference (the commonalities between man, animals and machines). Distinguishes three meanings of self‐reference and discusses the interrelationships between self‐reference, alienation, and growing societal complexity: states that, especially in the last few decades of this secular age, there has been increasing incidence of self‐reference. Also discusses the relationship between self‐reference, constructivism, and modern brain research. Asserts that the march of self‐reference is likely to continue, but that it will change in character.

The study discusses organic agricultural product persuasion using an empirical survey. This study argued that strong argument persuasive advertising message would trigger individuals' self-reference to the harm of pesticide residue in non-organic agricultural product, which would raise their purchase intention of organic agricultural product.

The present study conducted an empirical investigation in Taiwan by recruiting 527 Taiwanese participants using the convenience sampling procedure. The current research performed structural equation modeling analysis and used LISREL software to report the analytical results.

Individuals with health consciousness may perceive a high-level risk of non-organic agricultural product, which would raise individuals' fear perception to the harm of pesticide residue. Fear perception will increase individual's purchase intention of organic agricultural product. Results can help industry practitioners benefit from the results by enabling them to develop their advertising strategy for organic food.

Results can help industry practitioners benefit from the results by enabling them to develop their advertising strategy for organic food.

Illustrate supported by Beer’s Viable System Model and four vignettes the relevance of self-organisation, recursive structures, self-reference and reflexivity in policy processes. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

First, the concepts of self-organisation, recursive structures, self-reference and reflexivity are briefly discussed to ground policy processes in good cybernetics. Then, with the support of four vignettes, the idea of good cybernetics in policy processes is illustrated.

The cybernetics of policy processes is often ignored.

If the purpose of this paper were to influence policy makers it would be necessary to further the empirical base of the four vignettes and clarify desirable forums to ground the relevance of self-organisation, recursive structures, self-reference and reflexivity in policy processes.

Beer’s recursive structures, self-reference and reflexivity have much to contribute to the betterment of policy processes and the amelioration of the unbearable social and organisational costs of many current policies.

The application of concepts such as self-organisation, recursive structures, self-reference and reflexivity adds to the understanding of policy processes.

Self‐referential reflection inevitably reveals paradox. For some, paradox is a fruitful metaphor; for me, it raises problems that have epistemological implications. Traditionally paradox has been avoided by the problematic means of removing the observer from the domain of observation. Luhmann’s theory of autopoietic social systems offers an alternative manner of dealing with paradox. Such systems observe the self‐reference resulting from including an observer within the domain of observation and in their recursively closed operations combine other‐reference with every self‐reference. In this way, paradox is able to be "unfolded" in the operational moment. Luhmann’s social systems require, however, a radically different view of the place of the individual in society from that of traditional social theory – he or she does not belong!Communications are the elementary units for the social processing of meaning. This requires a radical revision of our concept of communication: it is communication that reproduces communication, not individuals.

The aim of this paper is to investigate how different design elements of retailer coupons increase the attitudinal loyalty towards retailers.

Three design elements are manipulated in a 2x2x2 experimental design. Data is analysed using structural equation modeling.

The results demonstrate that addressing customers personally and face value have a positive impact on attitudinal loyalty. Surprisingly, the positive effect of personalization is stronger than that of typical variations in face value. In contrast, a high minimum purchase amount restriction has a negative total effect on loyalty and neutralizes the positive effects generated by personalization. The results illustrate further that personalization influences loyalty via self-reference and enjoyment independently of any cognitive evaluation of the coupon, while face value and the minimum purchase amount require at least some cognitive processing to have a loyalty impact.

Future studies can use the developed framework to test the impact of other design elements, promotion types or loyalty schemes.

The results underline that personalization offers opportunities for increasing loyalty without the necessity of large investments. As these effects can occur without redemption, coupon promotions should not be evaluated based on redemption rates only.

The study extends existing research by focusing on retailer coupons, analyzing the combined loyalty effects of three coupon design elements and developing a framework to analyze direct and indirect loyalty effects as well.

A principal problem of information systems (IS) development today is how to integrate the work activity and social context of users into the IS which is being designed. This paper aims to delineate a sociocybernetic approach which enlightens the relationship between IS design activity, use activity, and the embedded social context. First and second order cybernetics are employed as a general skeleton or structure for conducting the sociocybernetic approach. Approaches from social autopoiesis theory and activity theory are introduced respectively to provide the skeleton of cybernetics with flesh and blood elements of real problems. An emerging conceptual body resulting from an organic integration of the cybernetic structure and social‐psychological elements which demonstrates the relationship between IS design activity, use activity, and embedded social context is presented.

Drawn on social psychology theory of impression management (IM), the purpose of this paper is to assess the way Portuguese managers build their narratives in chairman’s statement (CS) to manage stakeholders’ perceptions on corporate image, in a period of time of scarce resources.

The paper’s theoretical framework draws on elements of social psychology theory of IM developed by Leary and Kowalski (1990). Through the use of the two-component model of IM (impression motivation and impression construction) the 45 CSs of Portuguese non-finance companies were content analysed to understand how managers build their voluntary communication strategies.

Results indicate that organisational outcome does not influence the adoption of IM strategies. But public visibility and consumer proximity are crucial factors in explaining them. Larger companies with high consumer proximity present themselves in a favourable way, but consistent with an overall reading of the annual report. These companies show a higher level of verbosity, consistent to the argument of retrospective rationality.

The present study goes beyond Merkl-Davies et al. (2011) work and obtains insightful knowledge on the influence of goal relevance of impression in three different perspectives: company’s public visibility, company’s dependency from debtholders, and consumer proximity. Moreover, the analysis uses a period of scarce resources and a European Latin country, with no tradition in publishing CSs, but that recently has changed its financial reporting practices from an institutional code-law logic to an institutional common-law logic. A research setting like this has not been studied hitherto.

Upholds the equivalence between the sociological notion of reflexivity and the idea of self‐reference, which epistemologically and structurally distinguish those complex systems where humans participate as elements. Once there is a conceptual bridge between sociology and cybernetics, the reflexivity processes are analysed, and the expression feed‐before is proposed for the corresponding circuits, as they operate after the input, but before the output characteristic of the other complex systems is produced. After distinguishing between micro‐ and macro‐reflexivity, studies mutual connections and submits graphic designs of both types of circuit. Also briefly analyses the tempo of social reflexivity, while deducing the consequences regarding the predictability of social dynamics.

To explore the sociological concept of autopoiesis (N. Luhmann), investigate its interdisciplinary roots and demonstrate its practical relevance.

The biological concept of autopoiesis (H. Maturana/F. Varela) and the philosophical concept of meaning (E. Husserl) are first discussed with respect to their contribution to the development of the sociological concept of autopoiesis. The autopoietic mechanism of three different social systems is then described, and the practical relevance of the sociological concept of autopoiesis demonstrated using the example of governance.

The scientific positioning of the sociological approach to autopoiesis is two‐fold. On the one hand, it is firmly rooted in the scientific tradition and, on the other, its originality is determined by the adaptation and new combination of existing concepts. Although this adaptation‐combination process has provoked some criticism, the result does matter because it enriches the theoretical and empirical analysis which we use to explain the dynamics of modern societies.

The application of the sociological concept of autopoiesis to politics gives new insights into the opportunities and barriers of governance processes.

Positioning of the sociological concept of autopoiesis within the scientific tradition and its application (beyond metaphorical usage) as an analytical tool.

Strategic Management, Business Ethics.

This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc level.

The case accentuates the challenges faced by Geetanjali Woollens in its mechanical recycling business which is proving detrimental to its African business expansion plans. The case is developed from the episodes of divergence in January 2018 when the buyers’ non-acceptance of mechanically recycled products initiated a managerial dilemma between “business sustenance” and “sustainable business” for Geetanjali Woollens. Being associated with the recycling business for more than 25 years, Madhukar Ghosh, the General Manager at Geetanjali Woollen recycling unit, was delving upon practical, supply-chain-wide solutions to generate standard acceptance norms for mechanically recycled textiles. For him, ethical purpose of business existence was equally important as the profit motive. Bringing operational clarity and standardized regulatory framework still seemed a big challenge for international policymakers and torchbearers of environmental responsibility, and Governments and NGOs popularizing green initiatives. Lack of policy guidelines for business behavior was exacerbating the business functioning. Madhukar knew that consistent buyer policies and standard regulatory framework could clear some mist and induce maturity in the concept of circular economy. Some formalizations were expected till the end of December 2018, if the deadlines did not get pushed further.

The objectives of this case are as follows:

• to highlight the limitations that recycled apparel and textile products have and the concerns that emerge for buyers, designers, and consumers, due to these limitations;

• to highlight the myopic business vision with which the recycling business is suffering due to the lack of a formalized regulatory framework, which in turn is creating various system barriers and making recycling business an unattractive proposition;

• to appreciate the contribution of mechanical recycling of post-consumer textile waste as a closed-loop manufacturing technique in recouping the eco-impacts of increased disposal of apparel and textile products; and

• to promote discussions for innovative solutions for limitations and concerns related to substances of concern in the recycling business and deliberations for a more effective tracking of such substances to facilitate buyer acceptance of mechanically recycled products.

to highlight the limitations that recycled apparel and textile products have and the concerns that emerge for buyers, designers, and consumers, due to these limitations;

to highlight the myopic business vision with which the recycling business is suffering due to the lack of a formalized regulatory framework, which in turn is creating various system barriers and making recycling business an unattractive proposition;

to appreciate the contribution of mechanical recycling of post-consumer textile waste as a closed-loop manufacturing technique in recouping the eco-impacts of increased disposal of apparel and textile products; and

to promote discussions for innovative solutions for limitations and concerns related to substances of concern in the recycling business and deliberations for a more effective tracking of such substances to facilitate buyer acceptance of mechanically recycled products.