Suzanne C. Beckmann

The role of the dominant social paradigm in environmental attitudes A multinational examination

Abstract The purpose of this paper was twofold. The first purpose was to expand the domain of inquiry in the study of business and the natural environment. Traditional approaches have focused primarily on attitudes toward the environment, behavioral intentions, and behavior. Most of the research to date has been data-driven, however, and lacks a theoretical framework. We attempt to rectify this by proposing and testing an expanded model. Here the domain is expanded to include political, economic, and technological variables, referred to as the socioeconomic domain of the dominant social paradigm (DSP). While much has been written about the general nature of the DSP, its specific form has not been defined adequately in the environmentally related literature. The second purpose was to begin testing the proposed model empirically. The model suggests that as ones belief in the DSP increases, their expressed concern for the environment decreases. Further, as their concern for the environment increases, their perception of necessary changes and willingness to change to achieve environmental balance will also increase. Finally, we examined differences between countries and concluded that there were differences consistent with the proposed model. Overall, the results of the study confirm the proposed model. The policy implications of this result are also discussed.

My place is not your place – different place brand knowledge by different target groups

Purpose – Cities increasingly compete with each other for attracting tourists, investors, companies, or residents. Marketers therefore focus on establishing the city as a brand, disregarding that the perception and knowledge of a city differ dramatically between the target audiences. Hence, place branding should emphasize much more the perceptions of the different target groups and develop strategies for advanced place brand management. The aim of this paper is to assess the important discrepancies between the city brand perceptions of different target groups with the help of network analysis.Design/methodology/approach – In two empirical studies, the important discrepancies between the city brand perceptions of different target groups are assessed with the help of network analysis. Study 1 consists of 40 qualitative in‐depth‐interviews and study 2 uses an online qualitative open‐ended‐question survey with 334 participants.Findings – Structural differences for the city brand perceptions of two different t...

A Multinational Examination of the Role of the Dominant Social Paradigm in Environmental Attitudes of University Students

This study examined the difference between environmental attitudes of university students in England, Denmark, and the United States. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward technology, politics, and economics, the primary elements of the dominant social paradigm (DSP), and environmental attitudes. Specifically, as beliefs in the elements of the DSP increase, the perception of the existence of environmental problems decreases. As a result of this decrease, perceived changes necessary to alleviate environmental problems also decreases. The results also indicate that there is a direct relationship between the DSP and perceived change. The policy implications of this result suggest that what is needed is not only increased concern for the environment, but also, education about the DSP and its effect on the environment. Individuals may then break the cycles of technological advance, increased consumption, and reform politics, all of which appear to be complicit in environmental decline.

Explaining attitudes towards the euro: Design of a cross-national study

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to provide essential background material relating to the accom-panying papers in this special issue. It presents a brief description of the ‘Psychology of theEuropean Monetary Union’ project. This involved a questionnaire study of attitudes towardsthe euro, which was fielded in each of the 15 member states of the European Union in thesummer of 1997. We describe the development of the common survey instrument, and outlinethe rationale and methods pursued in sampling particular conceptual domains. The paper alsodetails the sampling procedures used in each country, together with the response rates andsample sizes attained. Finally, it o•ers a brief cross-national comparison of overall attitudes tothe euro. O 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.PsycINFO classification: 2229; 3920JEL classification: D63; D84; E52; F33Keywords: Control; Currency; Euro; Expectations; Equity; European union; Economic andmonetary union; Money; National identity; Satisfaction; Values

Consumer Behavior in Childhood Obesity Research and Policy

Within the last 30 years, a remarkable weight gain could be observed in nearly all developed countries independent of sex, age, and social class. Thus, this epidemic affects not only one single social stratum or one specific group of consumers, but rather whole populations. Nowadays, more than 30% of all European children are overweight or obese – with an increasing tendency (European Commission 2007). Overweight and obesity become even more important when taking into account their strong relationship with the increase in cardio-vascular diseases or type-two-diabetes. These consequences result in high costs for individuals and societies. Despite a plethora of activities and initiatives to reverse this development, there is no identifiable downward trend in sight. Rather, future economic and social consequences seem to be unpredictable and unmanageable.

Drivers for knowledge sharing: propositions for the role of motivational differences

Knowledge governance aims at managing knowledge processes in and across organisations. The majority of the literature is concerned with determining and evaluating the appropriate structures and mechanisms, yet very little research effort has looked into the psychological predispositions of willingness to share knowledge. This conceptual paper takes its starting point in motivational psychology, more specifically self-determination theory and its concept of causality orientations, in order to derive three main propositions concerning individual response patterns to knowledge governance.