The effect of the concept of individual agency on the estimation of health among different agecohorts

The understanding of determinants of health in health policy and health promotion has shifted from a traditional focus on lifestyle (nutrition, exercises, addiction), toward a richer multidimensional approach. This shift has been strongly influenced by a body of research in the human capabilities’ approach, which emphasizes the role of person’s agency, freedom, and opportunities. Using survey data on 18–52 years old Lithuanian representatives, this paper explores the relationship between personal agency and subjective health perception as well as how it varies depending on the age and post-materialistic values. Human agency refers to the capability of an individual to control personal destiny and make choices to fulfill goals set autonomously (A. Giddens). The results show that agency is important factor of subjective health perception in Lithuania. The fact that capabilities that measure agency are aligned with subjective health measures support the view of human development as an integral process.

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The effects of following celebrities’ lives via SNSs on life satisfaction: The palliative function of system justification and the moderating role of materialism

New Media & Society ◽

10.1177/1461444817750002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 3479-3497 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mihye Seo ◽

Ki Deuk Hyun

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Relative Deprivation ◽

System Justification ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Related Information ◽

Materialistic Values ◽

The Relationship

Social media increases opportunities to glimpse celebrities’ glamorous lifestyles and to interact with celebrities. This study examines how the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for celebrity-related information and interactions influences users’ life satisfaction. Data analysis demonstrates that celebrity-related SNS activities decrease users’ life satisfaction by increasing relative deprivation through comparison with celebrities. However, the comparison also leads to system justification, serving a palliative function to cope with the potentially negative consequences of such comparisons, which in turn increases life satisfaction. Interestingly, materialism moderates the relationship such that the effects of comparison with celebrities on system justification are observed only among SNS users who hold high materialism values. Also, the direct positive effects of celebrity-related SNS use on life satisfaction are stronger for those with high materialistic values than for those with low materialistic values. The multifaceted functions of celebrity-related SNS activities for life satisfaction are discussed.

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Human Capabilities and Economic Development:The Extreme Outlier Societies

Comparative Sociology ◽

10.1163/15691330-12341267 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 361-390

Author(s):

Robert M. Marsh

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Gender Inequality ◽

Capabilities Approach ◽

Political Freedom ◽

Human Capabilities ◽

Level Of Economic Development ◽

High Level ◽

Extreme Outlier ◽

The Relationship ◽

Better Than

Abstract One of the problems Amartya Sen raised in his capabilities approach was: why do people in some societies realize a much lower level of various kinds of human capabilities than would be expected on the basis of their GDP per capita, while other societies do better than expected? This paper focuses on six capabilities and functionings: life expectancy, schooling, living in a society with less income inequality and less gender inequality, political freedom and life satisfaction. Empirically I start with data on 156 societies and use regression analysis and case diagnostics to identify societies that are extreme outliers. These are identified as Singapore, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, each of which does significantly worse than expected (given their relatively high level of economic development) on two or more of the six capabilities. I then use qualitative analysis to specify, through “process-tracing”, the causal mechanisms that explain why these particular societies are so “unbalanced” in the relationship between their economic development and their human capabilities.

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Materialistic values and green apparel purchase intention among young Vietnamese consumers

Young Consumers Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers ◽

10.1108/yc-10-2018-0859 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 246-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Mai Thi Tuyet Nguyen ◽

Linh Hoang Nguyen ◽

Hung Vu Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Purchase Intention ◽

Research Effort ◽

Subjective Norms ◽

Purchase Behavior ◽

Content Type ◽

Tpb Model ◽

Materialistic Values ◽

The Relationship

Purpose Nowadays, the issues related to pro-environmental, sustainable and green consumption behaviors are attracting significant attention from both scholars and practitioners. However, in the context of emerging countries, less research effort has been invested in this topic, especially in investigating young consumer purchase behavior. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors driving young adult Vietnamese consumers’ purchase intention toward green apparel products with emphasis on the role of materialistic values. Design/methodology/approach In this research, a conceptual framework is proposed integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model with an important consumer value, materialism. To test the research model and hypotheses, a survey of a sample of 245 young adults (under 25 years old) was conducted in Hanoi, the capital city and one of the two most populous cities in Vietnam. All the scales used in this study were established in the literature, and the scales’ reliability and validity were assessed through Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. The structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model and hypotheses. Findings In this study, six hypotheses were tested and five out of six received support from the data. Specifically, the results of SEM showed that all three antecedents from the TPB model (i.e. attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control) were positive contributors to green apparel purchase intention, of which subjective norms were found to be the most influential predictor of purchase intention. With regard to the roles of the three components of materialism, the findings provided empirical evidence for supporting the positive impact of “success” and the negative impact of “centrality” on the attitude toward green apparel purchase, while “happiness” component was not found to have a significant impact on attitude. In this study, income as a control variable was found to be positively related to purchase intention toward green apparel products. Originality/value There is a little research on the relationship between specific values and environment-friendly behaviors, especially in the context of emerging economies such as Vietnam. In addition, it has been suggested that the relationship between materialistic values and green purchase behavior is still unclear. Thus, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the role of materialistic values in green apparel purchase among young adult consumers in the context of Vietnam, an Asian emerging country where only modest research effort has been given to explore this important topic.

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Manager’s Age, Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation and Sustainable Performance: A Conceptual Outlook

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12083196 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 3196

Author(s):

Farah Ameer ◽

Naveed R. Khan

Keyword(s):

Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽

Business Performance ◽

Dynamic Capabilities ◽

Local Community ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Capabilities Approach ◽

Sustainable Business ◽

Sustainable Performance ◽

The Relationship

Scholars have investigated the direct linkage between manager’s age and sustainable corporate performance, however, the mixed results and conflicting findings on the nature of the relationship demand further explanation through the missing constructs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of sustainable entrepreneurial orientation in the manager’s age and sustainable performance. This study develops a conceptual link by using a dynamic capabilities approach and upper echelon perspective, indicating that younger managers can adopt a more holistic approach towards sustainable practices which can enhance the environmental, social and economic performance of firms. This implies that the relationship between manager’s age and sustainable performance can be explained through sustainable entrepreneurial orientation (SEO) which can play a key role in setting organizational direction towards sustainable development and achieving sustainable business performance. This study contributes to the literature by examining the role of SEO in the relationship between the manager’s age and sustainable performance. This research will help practitioners recognize the importance of minimizing environmental and social problems generating due to organizational production activities. This will lead to profit generation as well as value creation for nature and the local community.

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What is Labour Law? Implications of the Capability Approach

The Capability Approach to Labour Law ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198836087.003.0007 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 122-140

Author(s):

Brian Langille

Keyword(s):

Capability Approach ◽

Capabilities Approach ◽

Decent Work ◽

Labour Law ◽

Legal Subject ◽

Starting Point ◽

Scope Of Application ◽

The Relationship ◽

The Capability Approach

Creating real capabilities to engage in decent work is a vital social project. Labour law is best conceived of as that part of our law which seeks to remove obstacles to, and to nurture, such capabilities. Labour law’s undertaking is thus part of the larger project of human development—of advancing the cause of substantive human freedom conceived of as the real capacity to lead a life we have reason to value. On this view, the world of labour law is large (it is concerned with all who work) and its mission one which is both important and coheres with our basic values in all aspects of our lives. But labour law has, at present, another account of itself, long successful, but which is narrower and less ambitious. The legal starting point for that view is contract, and labour law’s mission is to control contract power. This is an important but narrower normative vision, which both restricts our understanding of what labour law is and limits its scope of application. Attempts to advance labour law’s self-understanding by appealing to the capability approach have been made, but met with resistance. In this chapter, this encounter is reviewed and assessed by examining the role of the capabilities approach (CA) in constituting labour law as a legal subject. In so doing, this chapter draws attention to another issue—the relationship between the normative narrative underpinning a discipline such as labour law (whatever it may be) and its expression in law.

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Context, agency and professional workplace learning

Education + Training ◽

10.1108/et-07-2016-0129 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (5) ◽

pp. 516-533 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Daniel Bishop

Keyword(s):

Professional Learning ◽

Workplace Learning ◽

Comparative Approach ◽

Content Type ◽

Individual Agency ◽

Optimal Approach ◽

Professional Workplace ◽

The Relationship ◽

Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in which organisational context and individual agency interact (co-participate) to shape the workplace learning of graduate trainee accountants, and to examine the role of firm size in conditioning this interaction. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, comparative approach was used, involving interviews with 20 respondents across two large and three small accountancy firms in England. Findings Differences in individual learner biographies and trajectories generate divergent dispositions with regard to workplace learning. In turn, these dispositions influence the extent to which the generally less formal learning environment of the small firm is interpreted either positively or negatively. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed on processes of agency/context interaction across a wider range of organisational and professional environments. Practical implications Individual dispositions play an important role in determining the optimal approach towards professional development in practice. Originality/value The paper offers a novel insight into how variations in both context and agency – and the relationship between them – can generate significant divergences in the professional learning process.

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