The evolution of extraordinary self-sacrifice

From a theoretical perspective, individuals are expected to sacrifice their welfare only when the benefits outweigh the costs. In nature, however, the costs of altruism and spite can be extreme, as in cases of irreversible sterility and self-destructive weaponry. Here we show that “extraordinary” self-sacrifice—in which actors pay costs that exceed the benefits they give or the costs they impose on recipients—can evolve in structured populations, where social actions bring secondary benefits to neighboring kin. When given information about dispersal, sedentary actors evolve extraordinary altruism towards dispersing kin. Likewise, when given information about dispersal and kinship, sedentary actors evolve extraordinary spite towards sedentary nonkin. Our results can thus be summed up by a simple rule: extraordinary self-sacrifice evolves when the actor’s neighbors are close kin and the recipient’s neighbors are not.

Theoretical Notes on Action Schemes in Society

This essay presents theoretical constructs for characterizing the causal structure of social actions and developing a multi-level theory of action relating to accomplishment of goals via social organizations. Focal concepts include: action schemes, mobilization, internal and external fulfillments, power schemes, macroactions, effective actions, and purposeful actions. Additionally, an overview is provided of a methodological procedure for analyzing narratives in order to specify causal linkages among actions and thereby delineate action schemes. Some possibilities for future developments are noted.

BRAND MANAGEMENT PRO-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AS AN EFFECTIVE ELEMENT OF IMAGE STRATEGY

The aim of this article is to research the effectiveness of pro-social actions in the building of a brand image and if it really might be an effective determinant of marketing actions – which has an influence on consumer choices: chosen aspects of pro-social actions used in the strategies of NIVEA and Rossmann drugstores are explored here. In addition, analyzes of pro-social actions during pandemic was carried out. It is proved that companies which took a part in relief efforts during the crisis were appreciated by consumers; which helped when it came to creating brand value. The most important question seems to be not “Whether to invest in CSR?” but “How to invest?” This issue is sure to become the subject of numerous research projects and analyzes in the future.

Social Semiotics for Social Media Visuals

The social semiotics approach examines the meaning-making process in order to demonstrate how meaning is constructed in social actions and contexts. The rising interest of researchers in social media and its widespread use in society have both highlighted new challenges for data analysis. Social semiotics can provide a deep understanding of the visual grammar of the social media meaning-making process by assuming that this process is considered a social practice. The main objective of this chapter is to guide researchers and enable them to use the social semiotic approach as a research tool for the analysis of visuals in the social media environment. The chapter introduces the key elements, principles, assumptions, and rules of using the social semiotics approach in the analysis, understanding, and interpretations of social media visuals and how to explore the role played by visual elements in the meaning-making process in a social media within a specific social context.

KONSEP TEORI ETNOMETHODOLOGI DALAM PENDIDIKAN ISLAM: SEJARAH MUNCULNYA TEORI ETNOMETHODOLOG, KONSEP DASAR, TOKOH-TOKOH DAN IMPLEMENTASI TEORI DALAM PENDIDIKAN ISLAM

Ethnomethodology is the study of everyday practices carried out by members of society in everyday life. Actors are seen to do their everyday life through various kinds of ingenious practices. Ethnomethodology develops in various ways. The two main types are institutional studies and conversational analysis. Ethnomethodology has a different perspective from structural and interactionist theories in viewing social reality. As explained above, structural theory sees the most significant picture of human social life in the external forces that compel the individual. Therefore, to understand social behavior, an understanding of structural determination in human life must be developed. Meanwhile, for interactionists, actors (individuals) are viewed as priority objects. So, this theory builds a comprehension by first understanding individual social actions.

Distinguishing the Explicit Power Motives

Power is an important motivator at work, particularly for leaders. However, power also relates to dark personality traits, which negatively affect employees and organizations. Therefore, we argue that a high explicit power motive is a double-edged sword depending on whether people desire power for dominance, prestige, or leadership. We explored these research questions in a cross-sectional ( N = 151 employees) and a prospective study ( N = 371 leaders). Both studies revealed that dominance is most strongly related to Machiavellianism and moderately to narcissism and psychopathy. Prestige related strongly to narcissism and weakly to Machiavellianism, while leadership only weakly related to narcissism. Dominance best predicted counterproductive work behavior (CWB), while leadership best-predicted organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In addition, Study 2 showed that transformational and, to a lesser extent, transactional leadership styles mediated the relations between the three power motives with OCB and CWB, respectively. Thus, promoting transformational leadership might be a fruitful way of channeling leaders’ power motives into pro-social actions.

Democracy Movement and Alternative Knowledge in Hong Kong

This chapter’s author discusses the role of social movement in producing alternative knowledge based on the case of the Umbrella Movement of Hong Kong. This set of knowledge includes at least the definition of a problematic situation, the problem’s causes, and possible solutions. It is alternative/counter knowledge because it involves the unlearning of dominant discourses and the learning of counter-discourses. This learning is particularly intense when people are involved in social actions. Social movements as “repertoires of knowledge practices,” as suggested by della Porta and Pavan, foster the coordination of disconnected personal experiences and rationalities within a shared cognitive system to provide a common orientation for making claims and producing change. In this chapter, the author analyzes the mobilization period (March 2013–September 2014) of the Umbrella Movement to demonstrate how the movement affected public agenda setting, interpretation of law, and formulation of reform proposal.

Animal Welfare and Social Innovation: Evidence from a Case Study in Southern Brazil

This study examined the Cão Terapia (Dog Therapy) project, developed by a civil society organization, in order to verify how it generates social innovation based on practices focused on animal welfare. It is a qualitative case study, with an exploratory and descriptive approach. It consists of literature review, documentary research, participant observation, and interviews with volunteers and managers of the Bem-Animal organization. Bem-Animal seeks to promote the welfare of animals rescued by the government after complaints of abuse, being run over, and other serious situations. We found that the initiatives of this organization result in social innovation, above all, by providing social actions contrary to the speciesist, instrumental, and consumerist mentalities. They contribute to an experience of ethical precepts and to the consolidation of rights for non-human animals within the society.

Bem-estar Animal e Inovação Social: Evidências a partir de um Estudo de Caso no Sul do Brasil

This study examined the Cão Terapia (Dog Therapy) project, developed by a civil society organization, in order to verify how it generates social innovation based on practices focused on animal welfare. It is a qualitative case study, with an exploratory and descriptive approach. It consists of literature review, documentary research, participant observation, and interviews with volunteers and managers of the Bem-Animal organization. Bem-Animal seeks to promote the welfare of animals rescued by the government after complaints of abuse, being run over, and other serious situations. We found that the initiatives of this organization result in social innovation, above all, by providing social actions contrary to the speciesist, instrumental, and consumerist mentalities. They contribute to an experience of ethical precepts and to the consolidation of rights for non-human animals within the society.