The characteristic discriminant of contemporary societies, particularly in economically developed countries, is, on the one hand, the expansion of consumerism in various spheres of economic and social life, while on the other hand, it is the attempt to restrict excessive consumption. The principal aim of this paper is the description of the chosen changes in consumption in contemporary society and their economic consequences. The author searches for answers to the following question: What orientations mark out the behaviour of consumers in the market? In the search for answers to this question, the orientation towards excessive consumption that is stimulated by the ideology of consumerism and deconsumption as a protest against consumerism have been placed under analysis. In analysing the ideology of consumerism, the main styles of consumerism have been indicated as follows: consumption of pleasures, compulsive consumption and symbolic consumption. In contrast to the behaviour associated with over-consumption, the behaviour in pursuit of the restriction of the consumption of goods indirectly connected with actual needs has been described, namely sustainable consumption and anti-consumption, as well as the voluntary simplicity movement in consumption.

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The subject of considerations in the paper is a reflection on modern consumption. The author, in search of an answer to the question what main orientations determine consumer behaviour in the market, formulates the hypothesis that deconsumption may become a permanent trend in the development of modern consumption. In order to verify this hypothesis, consumerism along with its main styles and deconsumption as a response to excessive consumption are analysed. The author presents forms of deconsumption, i.e. sustainable consumption, green consumerism, ethical consumption, anti-consumption and consumer movements promoting such forms of consumption. In the conclusions, he points to the development potential of deconsumption manifested in a growing number of consumers who are changing their consumption habits into more socially and environmentally friendly ones.

The concept of clusters constitutes an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve their market position. Its essence is to stimulate the cooperation between these particular entities of economic life, accelerate the processes of innovation, etc.. This paper presents the theoretical bases underlying this concept of network organizations in the modern-day economy, while also examining the various approaches to defining a cluster and describing its models and types. Additionally, there is a detailed description of the problematic issues involved in the management of clusters. In the research section, the management of clusters of SMEs in Poland is analysed through (a) the models by which the clusters function, (b) the role of the coordinator in managing them and (c) their strategy for development. Finally, there is an illustration of the necessity for further research regarding the processes of management in clusters and how they can be improved.

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