Pursuit Of Profit Research Articles

Victorian Municipal Waste Management

Municipal solid waste management shapes public life at every moment, and it did so for the Victorians as much as it does for us today. Victorians were concerned about the sanitary risk unruly trash posed, but profit, not conservation or fear of hazardous waste, was the primary motivator behind all Victorian municipal waste management. Though the Victorian period is often characterized as a time when government and public works were becoming centralized, this was not the case with municipal solid waste management. Instead, a focus on the individual pursuit of profit meant that Victorian waste management was dispersed across society, with homemakers, recycling entrepreneurs, dustmen, and the very poorest members of society all playing a role. The structures Victorians built (or failed to build) to attend to their trash can help us understand how they ordered society. Waste management practices provide a microcosm of nineteenth-century British capitalism, class, gender roles, and imperial nationalism.

Implementation of Catur Purusa Artha in Village Credit Institution’s Financial Management

This study delves into the implementation of Catur Purusa Artha in managing the finances of Village Credits Institutions. Defining Dharma as adherence to rules, Artha as the pursuit of profits, Kama as efforts towards development, and Moksha as endeavors for harmony with stakeholders, the research explores these principles across 40 Village Credit Institutions (LPD). Data, collected through questionnaires and analyzed using frequency distribution techniques, provides insights into the incorporation of these concepts. Triangulation strengthens findings through comparisons with in-depth interviews of two LPD informants outside the sample group. The results reveal that all respondents implement the Catur Purusha Artha concept. However, a nuanced analysis highlights areas for improvement, specifically in lending activities and product development. This study indicates a fusion of traditional and modern management approaches within LPDs, showcasing a dynamic blend of principles that contribute to their financial management. These findings offer valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of Village Credit Institutions by addressing specific areas requiring attention and emphasizing the coexistence of traditional and contemporary management practices in LPDs.

Female Body's in Advertisements: A Foucauldian Analysis

This research study examines the articulation of the female body in advertisements through the intersecting lenses of Foucauldian perspectives. In the context of contemporary consumer culture where advertisements play a pivotal role in shaping social perceptions of gender and beauty, this research seeks to unravel the complex web of power, discourse, and commodification regarding the portrayal of women's bodies. The analysis delves into how capitalism commodifies the female body, turning it into a product to circulate in the market. The study investigates the economic relations and labor conditions involved in the production of these images, shedding light on the exploitative mechanisms within the advertising industry. It also explores how consumerism and the pursuit of profit contribute to the perpetuation of idealized beauty standards. Simultaneously, drawing from Foucault's theories, the research investigates the ways in which power operates within the discourse of advertisements. It uncovers how advertising normalizes specific beauty ideals, imposes disciplinary domains regimes, and invites viewers to engage in a surveillance-based gaze that judges and categorizes female bodies. This study revealed that advertisements commodify the female body, reducing women to objects that can be bought and sold, perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards and creating a culture where women feel alienated from their own bodies, all driven by the profit motive of corporations and reinforcing the capitalist notion that everything, including beauty, has a price. By elucidating these dynamics, the research contributes to a critical discourse on the role of advertising in reinforcing or challenging gender norms and the broader socio-economic system.

IS THE ENVIRONMENT A FACTOR IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE COLLECTIVE INTEREST IN LABOUR LAW?

Act no. 2021-1104 of 22 August 2021, known as the “Climate and Resilience” Act, has made the environment a new subject for social dialogue, which may take the form of negotiations at branch or company level, or as part of consultations by the Social and Economic Committee. The social partners, employee representatives and the employer are involved in building a collective interest that extends to new issues, raising the question of the functions of the company. The recent introduction into European law of the due diligence is a case in point. As companies are (perhaps) no longer limited to the pursuit of profit, they could act to protect the environment, or at the very least, not contribute to its destruction or to global warming.

La passion du profit comme astreinte ou poïèsis contractuelle ?

Comment la compréhension juridique du contrat est-elle influencée par notre recherche de profit ? Cette relation entre l’outil juridique et l’acceptation sociale du profit contribue-t-elle à une forme de poïèsis contractuelle dont la teneur échappe aux juristes ? En s’attardant aux liens, plus ou moins francs, assumés ou (in)conscients qui se tissent entre le discours contractuel et notre (in)compréhension du profit (que ce dernier soit justifié par le risque, l’innovation ou l’exploitation), ce texte propose de révéler la grammaire innervant le contrat et le pouvoir qu’il exerce aujourd’hui. Cette mise en relation Profit-Contrat souligne une possible renaissance sous les apparences d’astreinte et se formule donc comme un Ouvroir de Droit Potentiel pour l’épistémologie du contrat. Dans une perspective dogmatique, ce potentiel est sans doute aussi important que le profit sans limite qu’offrent les divers procédés d’échanges virtualisés contemporains. Il faudra établir dans quelle mesure ces dispositifs sont ou non façonnés, pensés, orientés par les juristes, voire conditionnent nos pratiques et théorisations contractuelles. Autrement dit, si notre rapport contemporain décomplexé au profit a tué le contrat, on ne peut nier que ce dernier renaît, sous d’autres atours, et est animé de nouvelles justifications. Peut-on alors soutenir que puisque la loi des parties est morte, plus que jamais, c’est aux parties de créer la loi contractuelle ?

구조방정식을 이용한 헌혈자의 헌혈기부권 선택 의향에 대한 영향 요인 분석

This study investigated factors influencing individuals' preference for Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation(VNRD) to promote its adoption. Motivational factors, social responsibility perception, and blood donation frequency were identified as determinants of VNRD choice. A survey involving 378 public officials and 1,646 individuals from the general public was analyzed using a structural equation model. The results showed that self-satisfaction, altruism, profit pursuit, and blood donation drive positively influenced the choice of VNRD. Moreover, heightened awareness of social responsibility among local governments was associated with increased VNRD preference. The study advocates active engagement with local governments through a local community-centric public-private partnership system to boost blood donation. Regarding the influence of the frequency of blood donation participation on the choice of VNRD, it was found that, in the case of public officials, the frequency of blood donation participation did not significantly impact the motivation for choosing VNRD.

Species discrimination of multiple botanical origins of Fritillaria species based on infrared spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography-image analysis and untargeted metabolomics

BackgroundFritillaria Bulbus (FB), a precious medicinal herb renowned for its heat-clearing, lung-moistening, cough-relieving and phlegm-eliminating effects. In pursuit of profits, unscrupulous merchants have engaged in the substitution or adulteration of valuable varieties with cheaper alternatives. It is, therefore, urgent to develop effective technical approaches to identify FBs from adulterants. MethodsThis paper employed infrared spectroscopy (IR), thin layer chromatography-image analysis (TLC-IA), and untargeted metabolomics techniques to discriminate ten species of FBs. ResultsFive species of FBs were successfully differentiated using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the power of TLC-IA technology allowed the differentiation of five species of FBs and two origins of FCBs (Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus). Remarkably, through the application of untargeted metabolomics technique, the precise discrimination of five species of FBs, as well as three origins of FCBs were accomplished. Moreover, a comprehensive identification of 101 markers that reliably distinguished diverse FBs was achieved through the employment of untargeted metabolomics technique. ConclusionThe investigation presented powerful means of detection for assuring the quality control of Fritillaria herbs.

Pursuing Profit: An Insight into the Notion, Ethics and Practices of a Trader as Depicted in the Ardhakathanaka

It is a general belief that when a person undertakes any business enterprise, he calculates profit as his ultimate aim. Profit is defined as the monetary gain made by a person by selling something for more than it costs him. As per the norms of the economic concept of medieval Europe, moral scruples such as greed and avarice were associated with the notion of profit. This in turn acted as a hindrance to pursue profit while undertaking the profession of business. In the sixteenth century, due to Calvinism, the life of business was given a new sanctity. In the context of India, we can anchor the fact that the calculation of profit was an integral aspect of the existence of the community of bania. This can be established with the help of a study of the Ardhakathanaka—an autobiographical memoir. It was written by Banarasidas in A.D. 1641 ( V.S. 1698) when he was living at Agra. Banarasidas was a middle-class Jain merchant. While understanding the notion of profit, the present article looks into the aspect of whether religion acts as a restraint or promotes business as a profession. It enables us to seek an insight into the mercantile world of the early sixteenth and late seventeenth centuries. This was also the time when the Mughal Empire was in its heyday. The Ardhakathanaka is an invaluable contemporary source; hence, it has great historical value. Profit being an integral aspect of mercantile life, this feature is explicitly highlighted in the Ardhakathanaka. We get to know about the motives and methods employed by the bania community to earn profit. Despite providing immense, crucial information associated with mercantile life, historians have not highlighted this aspect of the Ardhakathanaka. The article is an attempt to draw the gaze of historians to a primary source providing vital first-hand information regarding the motives and methods in the pursuit of profit during the medieval period.

Making of Scapegoats: The Complicity of Church, State and Society in Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These

Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things Like These (2021) brings such notions as purity, impurity and scapegoating into discussion within the context of the convent laundries in Ireland. The novel critiques the reduction of morality and immorality to a sexist category and focuses on the “fallen women” as both victims and saviours of society. It also portrays the harsh socio-economic environment of New Ross, Ireland where capitalism and inequality prevail, and the characters are victims of the capitalist system. Drawing a sketch of the Magdalen Laundries, which served as institutions instrumental in creating ideal women for the Irish nation and protecting the public from the “fallen” women until 1996, Keegan points at the complicity between religious and capitalist influences. She emphasises the relationship between Christianity and capitalism by implying out that capitalism prioritises private ownership, profit and competition, and that Christianity propagates the core tenets of the system. The narrative underscores how capitalism’s pursuit of profit can lead to the exploitation and marginalization of vulnerable groups, perpetuating a system of scapegoating to protect the interests of the rich and the powerful. Hence, the primary objective of this study is to analyse the phenomenon of scapegoating as exemplified, particularly by the girls at the convent who have been marginalized and confined within a convent in Keegan’s literary work, Small Things Like These, drawing upon the theories related to “mimetic desire,” “violence,” and “scapegoating mechanism.” It also aims to show how these girls, ostracised and accused of subverting national ideals, function as a mirror to the truth and reveal the unfeasibility of achieving true communal purification within the intricate interplay of church, state, and society– all of which are manipulated by the forces of capitalism.

‘Did the NFL start caring about women a lot more after Ray Rice? Probably not’: White-collar deviance and violence against women in racial capitalist sport

From a zemiological perspective, organizations causing social harm in their pursuit of profit is a form of white-collar deviance. In the case of sport and violence committed by athletes outside of the field of play, the structures of professional sport and the decisions made by organizations can impact not only the athletes involved, but victims, potential victims and society at large. Interviewing National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) front office members and journalists, I explore how teams in both elite professional sports leagues make player evaluation decisions regarding players who have been accused of criminality and violence against women, to assess sport organizations and leagues’ role in the violence of athletes. Interviewees noted that the talent of the player, their ability to produce value for the organization, and the potential backlash from fans and media play a pre-eminent role in organizational decision-making. Paired with professional sport’s privileging of dominance and aggression by athletes, this talent and production-based sanctioning of players accused of VAW illustrates organizational, league and capitalist sport structures’ complicity in continued acts of violence by athletes. Implications for contemporary conceptualizations of deviant leisure and organizational white-collar crime are also discussed.

Why use or forgo formal and informal appropriation mechanisms? A qualitative study of sustainable innovations from small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises

AbstractThe role that appropriation mechanisms such as patents and secrecy play in sustainable innovation is currently being debated. In particular, we lack an understanding of the different motives behind using or forgoing specific appropriation mechanisms. Current knowledge is mainly derived from the general innovation literature, which emphasizes profiting from innovation. However, sustainable innovators also seek to positively impact the environment and society, which raises the question of whether existing appropriation literature also applies to sustainable innovation. We interviewed 42 business leaders from small‐to‐medium‐sized enterprises concerning a recently commercialized sustainable innovation. The results indicate that known motives from the general innovation literature apply to sustainable innovation but also reveal motives specific to sustainable innovation. We also discovered motives suitable to all innovations, such as non‐disclosure agreement motives extending beyond achieving secrecy. Theoretically, our findings suggest the profiting from innovation framework may also apply to sustainable innovation, even though the pursuit of profits is not the only motive of sustainable innovators. In practical terms, the results help sustainable innovators to craft an appropriation strategy, and policy‐related opportunities arise for improving patent and trademark filing experiences.

Sustainability and Outreach in the Microfinance Sector of Ghana

The recent finance sector clean-up in Ghana led to the collapse of a number of microfinance institutions (MFIs), which reignited the discussion of whether MFIs can achieve much-needed financial sustainability while also meeting the goal of reaching out to the poor. In that regard, this paper explores the potential for MFIs to improve the breadth of outreach by fostering financial inclusion and to deepen the depth of outreach by targeting the poor while simultaneously pursuing self-sufficiency and profitability. Using data from the MIX database for 89 MFIs over a 20-year period, we employed fixed and random effects models to show that among other results, outreach is improved when MFIs are financed more by debt than equity and that the pursuit of profitability is a disincentive to outreach. Overall, the results suggest that with improved efficiency in the pursuit of sustainability, MFIs in Ghana stand better chances of achieving outreach both in depth and breadth.

Financial Investment Analysis of the Chinese Film Industry in the Post-epidemic Era

With the deepening of the reform of China's market economy development system and the establishment of the orientation of cultural industrialization development, China's film industry has gained unprecedented opportunities and opportunities for industrial development. At present, China has become the second largest film market in the world. Based on the pursuit of profits in the film industry, a large amount of capital has flooded into the Chinese film industry, and the scale of film investment and financing has been expanding. At the same time, the economic downturn in China and the world since the pandemic in 2020 has put great pressure on the film industry. Therefore, how to better finance film investment in the post-pandemic era has become a big problem. By literature analysis, this paper analyzes the financial investment environment of China's film industry and the development status of China's film finance, finds out the investment path and effectiveness of China's film and draws some suggestions for the future development of China's film finance.

What is capitalism? Toward a working definition

Since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, capitalism has returned as a major concept within the social sciences. While this has led to important interventions, there is yet to be a widely accepted definition of the concept. Such a definition matters, both for assessing the merits of recent scholarship but also because attempts at thinking ‘beyond capitalism’ require an understanding of what one is trying to overcome. For it to be of use, we need a definition of capitalism that serves to encompass its varieties yet circumscribed enough to remain meaningful. In this article, we review existing definitions of capitalism and offer our own approach, in the form of a Weberian ideal-typical definition of capitalism. Our approach is to view capitalism as being based on an economic logic consisting of seven elements: (1) free enterprise and the competitive market, (2) the pursuit of profit and its private appropriation, (3) wage labor and the production of commodities, (4) property rights, (5) the financial infrastructure of money and investment that makes possible credit and debt, (6) a highly variable degree of state regulation, and (7) a propensity for growth as the productive re-investment of profit. The economic logic of capitalism interacts with other institutional orders of society to produce the overall shape of capitalism. We argue that this approach can meaningfully help researchers consider the extent to which a given society is capitalist, based on how closely it approximates the ideal-typical definition we have provided.

Location-pricing decisions with carbon emission considerations: A behavioral game-theoretic approach

The location-pricing problem aims to solve pricing and facility location problems at the same time. While the demand of customers is known in the classical facility location problem, it is a function of price in the location-pricing problem. Moreover, some other factors, such as production, transportation and inventory costs, and competition, can affect the final price of products, making the location-pricing problem more complicated. Considering the necessity of incorporating environmental aspects into supply chain design and the importance of considering the behavioral characteristics of decision-makers, this study addresses the location-pricing problem based on these two significant perspectives. In this paper, there is a lead company responsible for locating and planning a set of manufacturers in the first echelon. On the other hand, the focal manager controls the total emissions and sets the wholesale price. In the second echelon, there are two retailers that base their pricing strategies on social preferences in order to gain a larger market share. The competition between the retailers determines the demands of the customers. The modeling approach is based on the Stackelberg-behavioral Nash game and is formulated as a bi-level mixed-integer nonlinear programming model. The problem is solved using a combination of an analytical solution method and the utilization of a commercial optimization solver. The proposed model is assessed using a real case study in the energy sector. The results indicate that deviating from purely selfish behavior in the pursuit of profit can lead to beneficial outcomes. Generally speaking, price competition between status-seeking retailers results in lower prices for the leader and followers compared to the standard game theory approach. This leads to an increase in average demand in the market, which results in increased profit for members and consequently improves the performance of the whole system. Also, it is worth mentioning that the status-seeking behavior of retailers results in a decrease in retail prices, which improves social welfare.

Coordination of complementary tourism supply through a destination card: The pursuit of profitability in the presence of a foreign tour operator

A destination card has been widely used by destination management organizations to coordinate the complementary tourism supply. Such coordination, which involves pricing a destination card, is challenging when a foreign tour operator is present. Though the literature shows that cooperative pricing between a destination management organization and a tour operator increases total profits, the most advantageous profit sharing for a destination has not been addressed. With a theoretical model of base and add-on products, this paper identifies the arrangement between a public destination management organization and a foreign tour operator that will accrue the highest profits for a destination. It is found that the most profitable option for a destination is a cooperative agreement in which the foreign tour operator is offered the same profits as a price leader under non-cooperation. This result comes from the fact that non-cooperation entails an unstable situation in which the tour operator is not willing to relinquish price leadership. The findings are of practical interest to help achieve economic sustainability in tourism destinations that rely on foreign tour operators and seek to coordinate their complementary tourism supply.

Social reproduction and the family: contradictions of childcare and eldercare in Germany

At the heart of capitalism is a contradiction between capital’s need for value-producing labor, including the commodification of care work and care products, and capitalists’ pursuit of profit at all costs, including the value of wages and the life and wellbeing of workers. The family is entangled in this contradiction insofar as its members, and particularly its female members, are encouraged to care for their children and for their dependent parents without (adequate) compensation out of love or duty, at the same time as they are immersed in and held up to standards of autonomy and self-care. In this article, I unpack this entanglement with respect to men and women’s care for their children and for their dependent parents in Germany. I argue that family members live out a structural contradiction in the reproduction of capitalism as a personal and family conflict and assume its fallouts as their personal failures. This makes the family relationships that center on care singularly excessive and family members prone to questioning their commitment, sensibility, and competence as mothers and fathers and as daughters and sons.

Irresponsible marketing and the need to support pro-sustainable production and consumption

ABSTRACT Globally, organisations and consumers face an array of economic, environmental, and social sustainability challenges. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) assist by providing guidance for appreciating and responding to these challenges. Marketers also have an important role to play in promoting positive sustainable attitudes and behaviour in both consumer and corporate contexts. Increasingly sophisticated marketing capabilities, combined with enhanced understanding of consumer psychology, mean that marketers have unprecedented ability to positively influence public opinion and promote positive social and environmental behaviours. However, this capability is frequently used irresponsibly in the pursuit of profit and political goals, with disregard for sustainable outcomes. Irresponsible marketing, including sustainability washing, misleads consumers and governments about the sustainability credentials of these organisations’ products or services. This undermines SDG 12 sustainable consumption and production, as well as the other SDGs. This paper discusses the need for marketers to be more proactive in promoting sustainability and informing irresponsible marketing regulation. Critical avenues for future research are also identified.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DISCLOSURE ON THE INTEGRATION OF GREEN ACCOUNTING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ON HIGHLY POLLUTED INDUSTRIES IN INDIA

Fulfilment of environmental and social obligations is required for sustainable development. Green accounting integrates all environmental consequences into corporate accounting accounts. Disclosure of Corporate social responsibility is a component of accounting performance tied to the social, economic, and environmental aspects of a company's programme that can be vital in cultivating stakeholders. The current research aims to investigate the effect of social responsibility disclosure on integrating green accounting and corporate governance of highly polluting industries in India. The study employed a descriptive study design and qualitative research methods in accordance with the interpretative research philosophy and collected the sample data from 52 highly polluted industries from Central Pollution Board in India. The study employs a structural model, descriptive statistics, and F-test analysis. The result reveals that green accounting and firm characteristics significantly enhance the selected firms' social responsibility disclosure. Furthermore, it was discovered that corporate governance and social responsibility disclosure impact the chosen firms' performance and value. However, it has been determined that green accounting does not affect the profitability or market value of the selected firms. Also, this work concludes that a good firm gives its surroundings and surrounding community enough consideration in addition to its pursuit of profit. As the research is based on 52 industries, the generalized result can not bed determined. The knowledge of the respondent also impacts the research.

The South African tradition of racial capitalism

This introduction to the special issue on “The South African Tradition of Racial Capitalism” situates the South African tradition of racial capitalism (SAT) against the organizational backdrop of the anti-apartheid movement, outlines the key theses of the SAT, and presents the contributions of the special issue. We argue that the SAT rests upon four key theses: 1) class struggle from above – the pursuit of profit – generates racism; 2) the capitalist state is the primary agent of racialization; 3) racial ideology can divide, enabling capitalism, but it can also unify, facilitating resistance; and 4) racial capitalism is a strategic concept that emphasizes the inseparability of anti-racist and anti-capitalist struggle. The SAT underscores the centrality of struggle and the importance of conjunctural analysis in the study of racial capitalism.