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Revealed preference axioms provide a simple way of testing data from consumers or firms for consistency with optimizing behavior. The resulting non-parametric tests are very attractive, since they do not require any ad hoc functional form assumptions. A weakness of such tests, however, is that they are non-stochastic. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of two non-parametric approaches that can be used to derive statistical tests for utility maximization, which account for random measurement errors in the observed data. These same approaches can also be used to derive tests for separability of the utility function.

Optimal ordering decision for a retailer in a dual-sourcing procurement is an important research area. The main purpose of this paper is to explore a loss-averse retailer’s ordering decision in a dual-sourcing problem.

For a loss-averse retailer, the study obtains the optimal ordering decision to maximize expected utility. Based on sensitivity analysis, the properties of the optimal ordering decision are well discussed.

Under the optimal ordering quantity that maximizes expected loss aversion utility, the relevant expected profit of a retailer turns to be smaller under a bigger loss aversion coefficient. For this point, a retailer needs to balance between expected loss aversion utility maximization and expected profit maximization in deciding the optimal ordering policy in a dual-sourcing problem.

This paper reveals the influence of loss aversion on a retailer’s ordering decision in a dual-sourcing problem. Managerial insights are suggested to devise the optimal ordering policy for retailers in practice.

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to highlight the heterogeneity of the organizational aims within the professional football teams in Ligue 1. Second, to understand why some teams swing from a win orientation towards a soft budget constraint from year to year, and vice versa.

Financial data from annual reports for the period 2005/2015 was collected for the 35 Ligue 1 clubs. To define the degree of compliance with the intended strategy for those clubs, an efficiency analysis was conducted thanks to the data envelopment analysis method. This measure of performance was supplemented with the identification of productivity and demand shocks to identify whether clubs suffered from such shock or changed their strategy. It enables to precise the nature of the evolution in the utility function, with regards to the gap between expectation and actual performance.

The paper suggests that a team can switch from one orientation to another from year to year due to the uncertain nature of the sports industry. The club director’s utility function could also be maximized under inter temporal budget function in order to adjust the weight between win and profit according to the opportunities in the environment.

The paper sheds new light on the win/profit maximization. The theoretical model provides an assessment of the weight between win and profit in Ligue 1 and then identifies a new explanation for persistent losses in the sports industry.

The purpose of this paper is to provide alternatives to the economic man image of human behavior and incorporate these alternative images which are based on motivational needs into utility analysis.

Empirically derived psychological variables define the individual's personality type in terms of an altruistic or non‐altruistic orientation. These variables are incorporated into the individual's utility function, and an analysis is made of utility maximization based on human needs.

Behavioral and motivational characteristics of individuals are relatively constant and are a function of the underlying personality traits of the individuals. Empirical support is offered for these characteristics, they are incorporated into the individual's utility function, and an analysis if performed on the interactions between individuals.

This paper not only goes beyond the economic man image of human behavior to analyze altruistic and selfish behavior but also analyzes the utility functions of both potential donors and recipients.

The paper aims to produce new key terminologies for the microfoundations of Islamic economics. The paper attempts to investigate the microfoundations of Islamic economics by exploring new perspective in the key concepts and key terminologies that would explain the behavior of individual and society in an Islamic ethical framework.

The paper is a conceptual paper that attempts to explore the microfoundations of Islamic economics from the primary sources of Qur’anic texts. Literature on the topics, from an Islamic and mainstream economics perspective, are reviewed critically in a comparative perspective.

The key concepts of self-interest, utility maximization and rationality are critically evaluated in an Islamic perspective and new key concepts of huquq, maslahah maximization and taqwa are proposed as alternatives. Those new key terminologies will broaden the horizon in understanding of economic realities of man and society and their relationship and well-being.

The paper is based on conceptual explorations of literature in the microfoundations of economics in the mainstream economics and Islamic economics. This is a conceptual paper, so it did not use any empirical analysis.

The findings of this paper will give insights of the microfoundations of Islamic economics as a discipline. Those unique key terminologies derived from the textual source of Islam (nusus) and intellectual tradition (turath) are important in the attempt to develop a solid body of knowledge.

The paper proposes new key concepts and terminologies to be the microfoundations of Islamic economics as a discipline. It is a new approach in understanding behavior of individual and society in Islamic perspective which are different from the other approach, which modifies the conventional terminologies by adding “Islamic” prefix, such as “Islamic” utility or “Islamic” rationality.

In his classic paper, “A Note on Profit Maximization and Its Implications,” Scitovsky [1943] examines the conditions under which “… the maximizing of profits leads to the maximization of the entrepreneur's satisfaction.” He finds that in order “… that maximum profits should maximize his satisfaction, the entrepreneur must have a special type of psychology …” In particular, “… the entrepreneur's choice between more and less activity — or between more income and more leisure — must be independent of his income.”

Each individual investor is different, with different financial goals, levels of risk tolerance and personal preferences. From the point of view of investment management, these characteristics are often defined as objectives and constraints. Objectives can be the type of return being sought, while constraints include factors such as time horizon, how liquid the investor is, any personal tax situation and how risk is handled. It is really a balancing act between risk and return with each investor having unique requirements, as well as a unique financial outlook – essentially a constrained utility maximization objective. To analyze how well a customer fits into a particular investor class, one investment house has even designed a structured questionnaire with about 24 questions that each has to be answered with values from 1 to 5. The questions range from personal background to what the customer expects from an investment. A fuzzy logic system has been designed for the evaluation of the answers to the above questions. The notion of fuzziness with respect to funds allocation is investigated.

This chapter reviews models of decision-making and choice under conditions of certainty. It allows readers to position the contribution of the other chapters in this book in the historical development of the topic area.

Bounded rationality is defined in terms of a strategy to simplify the decision-making process. Based on this definition, different models are reviewed. These models have assumed that individuals simplify the decision-making process by considering a subset of attributes, and/or a subset of choice alternatives and/or by disregarding small differences between attribute differences.

A body of empirical evidence has accumulated showing that under some circumstances the principle of bounded rationality better explains observed choices than the principle of utility maximization. Differences in predictive performance with utility-maximizing models are however small.

The chapter provides a detailed account of the different models, based on the principle of bounded rationality, that have been suggested over the years in travel behaviour analysis. The potential relevance of these models is articulated, model specifications are discussed and a selection of empirical evidence is presented. Aspects of an agenda of future research are identified.