The Affordances of the Information and Communication Universe, or Who is Behind the Mass Media

This article examines the specifics and perspectives of the information and communication universe theory for the analysis of the mass media. The aim is to explain the application of the concept of affordance in the context of media theory. The term was introduced by psychologist James J. Gibson to describe the specific inviting nature of objects and events, which, through affordances, suggest an algorithm for subsequent actions. From this point of view, the information and communication universe makes it possible to use it for some important purposes for the subjects of communication. However, the quality and options for implementing the possibilities of affordance depend on the goals, interests and skills of the subject who is trying to work with this affordance. To use an analogy, the same axe could invite some people to chop wood for an old lady, and others to use it as a weapon against her in order to seize her pension benefits. The thesis on the functional usefulness of the category information and communication universe for the analysis of processes in the media system is put forward. Traditional ideas about the specifics of the production and consumption of texts are corrected. The author analyzes the affordances of the Internet as a subsystem of the information and communication universe. It helps to explain the radical differences in the assessment of network digital technologies by representatives of different research schools. The article outlines further prospects for the identification and use of hidden affordances.

Overview of the legislative protection of retirement benefits against transfer, reduction, hypothecation and attachment in South Africa

This article demonstrates that the retirement industry is fragmented, with different pieces of legislation which contain differently drafted provisions addressing the same issue. In particular, it illustrates that several pension statutes provide protection against creditors to retirement benefits held by retirement funds. Further, that, while held in retirement funds, retirement benefits are protected from assignment, transfer, cession, hypothecation, pledge, reduction, attachment and execution. Furthermore, that some of these transactions appear in some of the provisions of the pension Statutes whereas they do not do so in similar provisions of other pension statutes. This article argues that the differences in the way similar provisions in different pension statutes are drafted leads to the development of confusing jurisprudence regarding the protection of members' retirement benefits, which needs legislative intervention. This article calls for a uniform approach across all pension statutes regarding the protection of pension benefits against members' creditors. This article further examines whether retirement benefits can be declared realisable property to enable creditors to enforce payment of their debts from these benefits. It illustrates that while it is clear that legislative protection of retirement benefits is available before these benefits accrue to members, there is, however, controversy whether this protection remains intact when these benefits have accrued to members.

Aging Equally? Employing Active Aging Policy in the United Kingdom

The UK’s responses to the challenges of ageing have largely focused on productivist notions of active ageing, with more comprehensive responses tending to be reactive and largely remedial. This presentation will show that productivist policies, often characterised by individual responsibility, including raising the retirement age, restricting access to early retirement, and providing a stronger link between pension benefits and contributions, have incentivised remaining in the labour market. These strategies have been justified in the context of ageing populations and increasing pension costs. However, opportunities to extend working lives have not been experienced equally. In practice most policies are gender blind. Furthermore, a more comprehensive approach to active ageing in the UK needs a collective emphasis to mobilise a wide range of societal resources, underpinned by a commitment to public welfare, which is highly problematic under neo-liberalism. Therefore, a comprehensive approach to ageing in the UK requires a substantial ideological shift.

PENGGUNAAN METODE PROJECTED UNIT CREDIT DAN AGGREGATE COST PADA ASURANSI PENSIUN NORMAL

Employees can be referred to as company assets because they play an important role in the progress and decline of a company. So the company can protect the welfare of employees when their age can no longer be productive, one of which is to include employees in pension fund insurance. This study aims to calculate and compare the normal contributions that participants must pay using the methods Projected Unit Credit and Aggregate Cost. The calculation of normal contributions using the method Projected Unit Credit uses the present value of the pension benefits divided by the length of service. The Method Aggregate Cost uses the present value of the pension benefits minus the accumulated funds and divided by the term annuity. The result of this research is that the normal contribution amount using the method Projected Unit Credit is lower in the payments in the first years than using the method Aggregate Cost. The Method contribution Projected Unit Credit increases significantly as the length of service period and the method Aggregate Cost increases slowly but increases sharply as the retirement age approaches.

The impact of expected pensions on consumption: evidence from China

We study how pension participation and expected pension benefits affect working-age adults’ consumption based on a nationally representative dataset from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) during the period 2011–2018. We find that the consumption of working-age adults who participate in China's Residents' Basic Pension is 15.4% higher than that of non-participants. Furthermore, we find that if working-age adults' expected pension benefits increase by RMB 1, their consumption will increase by RMB 0.34. Overall, our findings suggest that pension expectations are critical to the consumption decisions of working-age adults and can, therefore, positively affect total domestic consumption.

Standardization of implementation of the mandatory privately managed pillar of the pension system of Ukraine

According to the current legislation, the modern Ukrainian pension system is not yet fully formed. In Ukraine, PFC contributions currently form a source of pension benefits for citizens. The solidarity pension system is crumbling . That is, as in the rest of the world, the nation is aging, the share of retirees is growing, and there is less able-bodied population. The search for new ways to save for old age is in the direction of creating a mandatory accumulation under the supervision of the state. Thus, today, a second level of the pension system, mandatory accumulative component, and a rather underdeveloped and unpopular non-state pension system, which forms the third level of the national pension system, do not function. However, in 2020, the work on the concept and bill on the mandatory savings system was intensified. Its introduction is seen as a tool that can increase both the level of pensions and their differentiation. But the world experience of such reforms shows that the real effect on payments from the savings system will have to wait at least 15-20 or even 25 years. The article examines the issue of introducing a funded pension level at the legislative level. According to the results of an expanded analysis of 19 draft laws on reforming the current pension legislation and proposals for new laws on these issues in the period from 2018 to 2021, we can conclude that there is no single concept of amending legislation, so most bills are either withdrawn or sent for further refinement. Currently, various aspects of the pension system of Ukraine are regulated by a large number of legislative acts, so there are signs of dispersion in these draft legislative changes. Most of the bills are developed to enhance the welfare of certain categories of citizens, including servicemen, single mothers, victims of the Chernobyl accident, war veterans and more. The issues of the accumulative pension system are mainly raised in the bills of 2020–2021.

The Effect of Pension Subsidies on the Retirement Timing of Older Women

I estimate the effect of additional pension benefits on women’s retirement decisions by examining a German pension subsidy program. The subsidies have a kinked relationship with the recipients’ past pension contributions, creating a sharply different slope of benefits for similar women on either side of the kink point. I find that a 100 euro increase in the monthly benefit induces female recipients to claim their pensions six months earlier. Recipients also adjust their labor supply by using unemployment insurance as a stepping stone to retirement and by reducing time spent in marginal employment. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the ratio of behavioral to mechanical costs for this subsidy program is 0.25, which is smaller than that of many other income support programs.

Polish citizens' pension investment preferences in the context of their awareness of climate change

Climate change and the level of future pension benefits are challenges for the next generations. One of the answers to both problems is to push capital savings towards sustainable ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) investments. At the same time, most studies show that the lack of so-called “green products” in the investment market is caused by a lack of demand. It will probably change, both due to the growing awareness of climate change, and thus the pressure of retail investors and mainly due to regulations introduced by public institutions, especially by the European Union. The article aims to verify whether Polish individual investors and people with additional capital pension insurance can create significant pressure on fund managers, to increase the share of the green investments in their investment portfolio. In this context, I assume that shareholders (who care about financial profit) are also stakeholders (so they do not want to feel the negative effects of corporate actions on the climate and will take it into account when investing). Using statistical analysis of data collected as part of a nationwide survey on a representative sample of Poles (N = 2416), I answer the following questions: are people who believe that the anthropogenic climate crisis is an important problem more willing to invest in ESG, and if such investments would combine with less profit, would they have decided to so anyway?

The role of pension knowledge in voluntary pension and banking savings in Chile

PurposeIn an era of increasing financial vulnerability, people are not saving enough to either fund their future pension benefits or having precautionary savings. The authors propose that pension knowledge makes people increase their probability of having voluntary pension and banking savings.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the social protection survey in Chile, a unique set of panel data for affiliates in 2006 and 2009. First, the authors use clustering algorithms to find naturally occurring groupings in the level of pension knowledge. Second, the authors run a probit regression model for explaining the probability of having a voluntary pension and banking savings, using as determinants the level of pension knowledge and several control variables that are usually explored in the literature.FindingsThe authors find two clusters of pension knowledge in the Chilean pension system. In addition, the authors find that there is a positive correlation between high pension knowledge and good financial decision-making, as these people have voluntary retirement and banking savings.Practical implicationsAs people who spend time planning accumulate more wealth, it is important to develop public policies that promote the advantages to know better about the benefits of having voluntary savings for the long-term horizon. Conscientious people are also more likely to have voluntary savings.Social implicationsPolicy programs to increase to be responsible can have positive effects on society's welfare.Originality/valueUp to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that connects clustering algorithms and pension knowledge.

Employee pension programs in the employers’ branding strategy

Demographic changes taking place in many countries are contributing to deteriorating pension systems. In the near future, these systems may become insufficient in many countries, and may lead to a reduction in the amount of pension benefits. One way to reduce the risk of poverty for future retirees is for them to save for retirement in employee pension programs (EPPs). In developed countries, EPPs have become an HR policy and are included the employer branding strategy (EB). The main objective of the article is to indicate the place and relationship between the EB and EPPs. We assume that the perception of the relation between EPPs and EB differs as far as employers or employees are concerned. Another factor which may have significance in that evaluation is whether or not the organization offers an EPP to its employees. The results of research conducted among 151 respondents allowed the formulation of a few conclusions which may suggest the need for a different approach to work by employees and to recruitment policy by employers. According to the research, EPPs are perceived as a benefit offered to employees, and at the same time they are a part of the EB strategy. However, that perception depends on whether we ask employees or employers, or whether the company offers EPP programs or not.