Ageing, Health and Life Satisfaction of the Oldest Old: An Analysis for Germany

This analysis uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to assess the effect of ageing and health on the life satisfaction of the oldest old (defined as 75 and older). We observe a U-shaped relationship between age and levels of life satisfaction for individuals aged between 16 and approximately 65. Thereafter, life satisfaction declines rapidly and the lowest absolute levels of life satisfaction are recorded for the oldest old. This decline is primarily attributable to low levels of perceived health. Once cohort effects are also controlled for, life satisfaction remains relatively constant across the lifespan.life satisfaction, oldest old, health

Unraveling the Relationship Between Trait Self-Control and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Four Self-Control Strategies

Although several studies provide evidence that trait self-control contributes to subjective well-being, the self-control strategies that promotes happiness and life satisfaction remains unknown. The present study aims to shed light on this relation by investigating the mediating role of four self-control strategies: situation selection, attentional deployment, reappraisal, and inhibition. To test the hypothesis that self-control strategies mediate trait self-control’s effect on well-being, an online questionnaire on trait self-control, self-control strategies, and cognitive and affective well-being was administered to 4,036 participants from four countries (ages 18–65 and 56.4% female), whose responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our analysis replicates previous studies that trait self-control positively relates to subjective well-being. Moreover, our analysis provides evidence that this relation is indeed mediated by the tendency to employ particular self-control strategies. Attentional deployment and reappraisal positively relate to subjective well-being, whereas inhibition exhibits a negative relation. Situation selection was unrelated to subjective well-being. The incorporation of self-control strategies represents the first attempt to empirically disentangle the positive relation between trait self-control and subjective well-being. The heterogeneous effects of self-control strategies suggest the importance of obtaining a better understanding of which aspects of trait self-control positively contributes to subjective well-being

Childhood Obesity, Sustainable Development, and Behavioral Economics

To understand the rising prevalence of obesity in affluent societies, it is necessary to take into account the growing obesity infrastructure, which over past decades has developed into an obesogenic environment. This infrastructure is a direct reflection of the mainstream economic growth paradigm that the literature on consumer culture characterizes as chronic overconsumption. This study examines the effects of one of the constituent factors of consumer societies and a key contributory factor to childhood obesity: commercial food communication targeted to children and its impact on their food knowledge and food preferences. Because evaluations of traditional information- and education-based interventions suggest that they may not sustainably change food patterns, we combine insights from behavioral economics and traditional consumer behavior theory to formulate seven hypotheses, which we then test using a subsample from the IDEFICS study. The results reveal not only that advertising has divergent effects on children’s food knowledge and preferences but that food knowledge is unrelated to food preferences, a finding that has important implications for future research and public policy

What makes MNCs succeed in developing countries?

MNCs are increasingly investing in developing countries to be part of rapid market growth, to enhance the efficiency of their value chains, and to access abundant resources and talent. The potential gains are high, however so are the risks. Some developing country subsidiaries become top performers in terms of growth and revenue and assume key roles in the MNCs’ global value chains, but other subsidiaries fail to meet expectations, struggling to produce positive returns and frequently experiencing stop of operations. While the issue of subsidiary performance should be at the heart of any International Business (IB) enquiry into MNC activity in developing countries, surprisingly little research has examined this issue. Based on a unique data base of approx. 800 MNC subsidiaries established between 1969 and 2008, this paper examines the evolution in subsidiary performance and the factors influencing this performance. The analysis reveals that MNC subsidiaries in developing countries have improved enormously on their performance since the early investments in the 1960s and 70s, but also that the risks of failure remain high. The paper moves on to analyze factors shaping subsidiary performance. Inspired by received IB theory, it is hypothesized that subsidiary performance is essentially shaped by five dimensions: location, industry, MNC capabilities, subsidiary role, and entry mode. A variance component analysis is employed to identify the sources of subsidiary performance. Especially MNC capabilities and subsidiary role appear to explain variance in performance, while location and industry factors appear to have less explanatory power. This suggests that while locational and industry factors affect subsidiary performance, strong MNC capabilities and appropriate strategy can make MNCs succeed regardless of location and industry. The findings of the study have important implications for the IB literature, for managers and for policy aimed at promoting FDI in developing countries

The first study on Danish consumers’ tendency to compulsive buying

Background: The present study is the first study of Danish consumers on compulsive buying. It draws on a representative sample of 1,015 Danish consumers (aged between 15 and 84 years) and extends prior research undertaken in other countries (such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Canada, the US). It is the first study to shed light on the situation in a Scandinavian context and is designed to allow for a comparison with the situation in other countries. Results: The prevalence of compulsive buying tendencies in Denmark are: 9.75% of the respondents show compensatory buying behavior and 5.81% show compulsive buying tendencies. These percentages are similar to those found in Germany and slightly lower than in Austria. They are also within the range of preferences in other countries. Regarding socio‐demographics, age and sex play a decisive role while marital status, education and income cannot be associated with compulsive buying. If there is such a thing like “a typical shopaholic”, it would be a women aged between 25 and 44 years, disregarding whether she is a single or not, has a low or high education and income. The internet offers shopping opportunities that lure both, potential shopaholics and compensatory buyers more than inconspicuous buyers. Compensatory and compulsive buyers have far more customer cards than others. Conclusion: To sum up, this study identifies diverse factors that are related to compulsive buying behavior. To find out what cause is and what effect, more qualitative research as well as experimental studies are needed. Additionally, more intercultural comparisons could lead to insights into the effects of the social and cultural consumption environment, i.e., the role of norms, values, policies, and the mass media on buying behavior. This type of research has, to date, not been undertaken in any Scandinavian country. A first step is the comparison of Danish, Austrian and German data which is currently undertaken. The results of the present study together with future analyses could feed into strengthening consumer education and informing debt counseling and consumer advice. It is also relevant data for credit card companies and retail

The first study on Danish consumers’ tendency to compulsive buying

The present study is the first study of Danish consumers on compulsive buying. It draws on a representative sample of 1,015 Danish consumers (aged between 15 and 84 years) and extends prior research undertaken in other countries (such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Canada, the US). It is the first study to shed light on the situation in a Scandinavian context and is designed to allow for a comparison with the situation in other countries

Responsibility Attribution and Consumer Behaviour in the Light of the Bangladesh Factory Collapse

The current fashion system is highly unsustainable, as continuous overproduction and overconsumption is contributing to environmental as well as social degradation. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between consumers’ perceived responsibility for the non-sustainability of the fashion industry, diffusion of responsibility between different actors, label knowledge and use, perceived external barriers and environmental apparel consumption. Theoretically, we combine the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability-Model with norm activation theory. We use a representative sample of young Swedish consumers for our analysis. Findings show that perceived personal responsibility as well as label knowledge and use enhance environmental apparel consumption. The small but significant negative effect of perceived responsibility diffusion on environmental apparel consumption indicates that responsibilities between relevant actors might have to be delegated more explicitly than it happens today

The Effect of Smileys As Motivational Incentives on Children'S Food Choices: a Field Experiment in European Primary Schools

This study investigates the efficacy of a simple, motivational incentive-a smiley stamp-in promoting vegetable and salad consumption among primary school children. We conducted a field experiment in 10 primary schools in five European countries using one control and one treatment school per country. [to cite]

A Resource Dependence Perspective on Delistings from the United Nations Global Compact

This study analyzes which firms leave multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on an analysis of all active and delisted participants from the UN Global Compact between 2000 and 2015 (n= 15,853), we find that SMEs are more likely to be delisted than larger and publicly-traded firms; that early adopters face a higher risk of being delisted; and that the presence of a local network in a country reduces the likelihood of being delisted. Based on this, we extend resource dependence theory in the context of CSR by theorizing (a) the effect of participant heterogeneity on resource dependence relationships and (b) the role of indirect influence pathways where stakeholders work through allies to manipulate the flow of resources to a firm