Christèle Boulaire

A stakeholder approach to MCDA

Research into quantitative decision-making has undeniably made considerable progress in recent years, having gone from coping with single decision-maker, single criterion to multiple decision-makers, multiple criteria decisions situations. Suitable mathematical methods and instruments have been perfected and are now quite sophisticated. Moreover, they are often supported by a powerful software. However, most decision situations require that the systemic socio-political aspects of the decision processes be taken into account and the methods and instruments developed so far may not be satisfactory in this regard. This paper presents a proposition that is aimed at improving this situation. It is based on the concept of stakeholder which, in our view, should be more directly incorporated into any multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA) approach.

The dynamics and trajectory of creative consumption practices as revealed by the postmodern game of geocaching

Through a comprehensive exploration of the no-limits postmodern game of geocaching, two researchers shed light on the dynamics and trajectory of creative consumption practices. They reveal how they overlap with other practices, the process of contamination they result in and the way they foster dynamic and playful embedded selves of consumers and actors involved in this process. The authors highlight the need for researchers to understand consumption practices as systems of entangled and evolutive practices that mingle in complex ways.

A post modern conception of the product and its applications to professional sports

In the post modern era, a product or service has four potential representations: experiential; social; democratic; and an element of an organisation, a network or a universe. This paper looks at post modern product representations in the sports industry that are supported by marketing decisions. These decisions could provide guidelines to sports managers who want to strengthen the emotional connection between the team and the fans.

Creativity chains and playing in the crossfire on the video‐sharing site YouTube

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how individual creativity of internet users is expressed in the production of online music videos and how the creative dynamic among amateur internet video producers can be characterized.Design/methodology/approach – The researchers became readers and authors in the aim of providing the academic community with a scholarly narrative of creative YouTube video production. To develop their narrative, they explored the narrative woods that have grown up on the other side of the monitor screen in the form of videos inspired by one song.Findings – The collective creative force is shown not to be expressed merely through the semantic and non‐semantic montages that make internet users into postmodern tinkerers, but also through such mechanisms as imitation, diversification and ornamentation. This force and these mechanisms give rise to chains that link and connect individual minds, imaginations, interests, enthusiasms, talents, abilities and skills.Practical implic...

Online communities serving the consumer/producer: observations from the study of a fantasy world

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the main individual and collective strategies online communities employ to appropriate fantasy worlds and the ways in which community members use imagination within this context.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study drawing on an ethnography of online communities including individual in‐person interviews with community members of the world is considered.Findings – The predominance and the vital importance of the production/consumption of stories within these communities has been shown. The multiple benefits of this practice have been illustrated, including the pleasure of creating and playing with ones imagination. These benefits engender the surprise and enchantment of community members, who lavish other members with encouragement, congratulations and thanks.Research limitations/implications – Because of opting for a non‐participatory ethnography, it was impossible to directly contact the members of the community to conduct interviews. Thus ...

L’Outil Quantitatif D’Aide A La Décision Comme Jeu Et Enjeu

AbstractThe multiplicity of uses that are made of a quantitative tool during a collective choice process implying several participants of an organization in the quasi-public sector, is examined. The metaphor of the game is proposed for purposes of this study. Results of the study show that the use of the quantitative tool extends beyond the role that one traditionally attributes it, that being to clarify a choice. For the various participants, the quantitative tool is an instrument that simultaneously enables and contrains. It is both the rule of the game and the stake. The consequences for both developers and users of quantitative tools, most notably as regards their training, are presented and discussed.