Despite the abundance of empirical data on household energy consumption, it is hard to predict future developments because of the complexity of the household system. Multi-agent simulation offers a tool to get a better understanding of the relevant behavioural dynamics of the household system....

The "biophysical" critique of conventional development highlights the failure of economics to ground itself sufficiently in physical and biological realities. This paper discusses two specific aspects of modern economic systems (the profit motive and consumer behaviour), which are at best...

Increasing evidence suggests that sustainable development will require not only improvements on the production side, but also reductions in demand (Duchin and Lange, 1994). Yet resistance to the questioning of consumption patterns is substantial. This has, at least in part, to do with the way in...

This paper focuses on the role of imperfect competition as a microfoundation for fiscal policy effectiveness. The seminal papers in this area conclude that the higher the degree of monopoly power the higher the value of fiscal policy multipliers. However, this result has been criticised because...

While large scale, regionally concentrated food producers, processors and distributors are becoming more and more important, a number of consumers have become dissatisfied with this food system for various reasons. Some consumers search actively for alternatives. One of the more recent social...

During the past decade, concern for the environment has emerged as a major socio-political issue among developed nations throughout the world and the increase in the number of environment friendly or 'green' products has been significant. This paper provides information on a study which assessed...

This study analyses how consumer perceptions on the quality of products are influenced by the marketing appeals of multinational firms and by the country-of-origin effects. It presents findings derived from the results of country-of-origin effect, corporate image, its brand image and purchase...

Security has been widely recognised as one of the main barriers to the adoption of internet innovation. Many studies suggest that firms operating on the internet must first convince their customers about the security of internet as a medium. This paper presents empirical evidence that Finnish...

Both empowerment and the use of emergent technologies are ways to cope with increasing competition and customer demands on service industries. The relationship between empowerment, technology and behaviour at the service encounter is, however, sparsely documented. This article offers a...

Fresh fruits are always recommended as ingredients in healthiest diets. However, there is a tendency for consumers to move their consumption towards transformed fruits, which are integrated in many food products. Quite commonly fresh fruits are difficult to handle and store but they also do not...