The Throwaway Society: a Look in the Back Mirror

Hellmann, Kai-Uwe; Luedicke, Marius K.

doi:10.1007/s10603-018-9371-6

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…A related area of research has found that providing product updates causes consumers to devalue their existing versions of the product and encourages unnecessary new purchases ( Bellezza et al, 2017 ). Raising consumer awareness of the concept of planned obsolescence in industrial production (i.e., where companies intend for the product to become obsolete, in terms of functionality, design or desirability; Hellmann & Luedicke, 2018 ) may promote consumer demand for higher quality, longer lasting products that are more likely to be retained or recirculated. However, as noted by William Morris as far back as the 1800s, there remains a tension between promoting the uptake of well-crafted, durable goods, and ensuring that products are affordable for all ( Van Helvert, 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the linear economy, the primary aim is to generate high volume outputs—what Stahel (2016) has described as “‘bigger-better-faster-safer’ syndrome” (p. 436). This approach has been criticized as contributing to the overconsumption of resources and environmental degradation, by encouraging planned obsolescence and a “throw-away” culture ( Andrews, 2015 ; Hellmann & Luedicke, 2018 ). Faced by a need to develop production and consumption systems that are both environmentally sustainable and socially just (i.e., providing enough to support everyone’s material needs, but avoiding exceeding planetary boundaries; Raworth, 2017 ), alternative economic models have been advocated, including a circular economy or “closed loop” approach, in which material resources are conserved as much as possible and waste is minimized ( House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2014 ; Stahel, 2016 ).…”

Section: Societal Significance Of the Human–artifact Relationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Folk Theories of Artifact Creation: How Intuitions About Human Labor Influence the Value of Artifacts

Judge

Fernando

Paladino

et al. 2020

Pers Soc Psychol Rev

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What are the consequences of lay beliefs about how things are made? In this article, we describe a Western folk theory of artifact creation, highlighting how intuitive dualism regarding mental and physical labor (i.e., folk psychology) can lead to the perceived transmission of properties from makers to material artifacts (i.e., folk physics), and affect people’s interactions with material artifacts. We show how this folk theory structures the conceptual domain of material artifacts by differentiating the contemporary lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production, and how it influences people’s evaluations of different types of artifacts and their makers. We propose that the folk theory and lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production are best understood within a specific sociohistorical context, and review potential sources of cross-cultural and cross-temporal variation. We conclude by making recommendations for future research and examining the implications for promoting environmental sustainability and social justice in production systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Societal Significance Of the Human–artifact Relationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Folk Theories of Artifact Creation: How Intuitions About Human Labor Influence the Value of Artifacts

Judge

Fernando

Paladino

et al. 2020

Pers Soc Psychol Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Developing countries are plagued with weak regulations and irresponsible norms (Hellman et al, 2000;Kaufmann, 2004) to the extent that they are even rationalized (Anand et al, 2004). In such situations, irresponsibility permeates into formal and informal institutions, refers to as institutionalized irresponsibility (Hellmann and Luedicke, 2018).…”

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) and its impact on social judgments in the weak institution: moderating the role of corporate ability

Khan

Kamal²

2021

JBIM

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Purpose In weaker institutions, lack of corporate social responsibility (CSR) constituencies causes organizations to naturally incline toward corporate socially irresponsible actions. Grounded in the institutional theory, this paper aims to explore the nature of corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) in the weaker institution and its effect on legitimacy and reputation. The presence of corporate ability moderates the impact of CSIR on legitimacy and reputation. Design/methodology/approach A list of manager’s contact information was generated from an online database. In total, 1,500 employees in 560 Pakistani organizations received the self-reported survey. In total, 203 managers working in 110 Pakistani organizations responded with the completed questionnaire that provided empirical support to the hypotheses. Findings Institutional drivers were positively significant to CSIR and negatively associated with the manager’s CSR attitudes. CSIR was negatively significant to legitimacy and reputation. Group differences between high and low corporate ability indicated that corporate ability played a vital role between CSIR and reputation. Practical implications These results have important implications for leaders, business-to-business and human resource (HR) managers in weaker institutions highlighting that organization’s supply chain partners consider adopting CSR practices. This can help the organization avoid undesirable and detrimental impact on its legitimacy and reputation, which are linked to irresponsible behaviors. HR managers should build CSR cognition in employees to bring effective change in the organization. Originality/value Lack of investigation into corporate ability and CSIR has raised questions about the organization’s efforts in the weaker institution that are sensitive to institutionalized corruption. This research adds to the literature by exploring how the organizations develop legitimacy and reputation while still acting irresponsibly in a weaker institution, presenting a paradox.

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“…Yet, throwaway consumption is a macrosocial phenomenon as denoted by terms such as “throwaway culture” and “throwaway society” that are considered as apt terms for describing the contemporary consumer culture (Hellmann & Luedicke, , p. 83). Consumer culture does not refer simply to a high incidence of consumption but to a “culture of consumption” where “core social practices and cultural values … are defined and oriented in relation to consumption” (Slater, , p. 24, emphasis in original).…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability Consumer Culture and Throwawamentioning

confidence: 99%

“Throwaway” consumption in a consumerist society: Evidence from a developing country

Wijetunga

2019

Bus Strat Dev

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Consumerism, closely linked with growth‐oriented development, has been identified as detrimental to environmental sustainability. Yet literature on throwaway consumption, a key form of unsustainable consumption, has rarely examined the influence of consumerist social values on individual behavior. This paper examines how the contemporary “liquid” consumerist social trends that elevate transience over durability manifest in individual throwaway consumption. Utilizing a sample of consumers from a developing country, Sri Lanka, the study explored the throwaway consumption of the mobile telephone. It identifies that consumers replace their phones with new ones at quick intervals because they consider novelty as a source of pleasure and technological change as progress, both of which can be considered as manifestations of “liquid” consumerism. Further, the market stimulates both ideas, providing greater impetus for throwaway consumption.

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The Throwaway Society: a Look in the Back Mirror

Cited by 20 publications

References 8 publications

Folk Theories of Artifact Creation: How Intuitions About Human Labor Influence the Value of Artifacts

Folk Theories of Artifact Creation: How Intuitions About Human Labor Influence the Value of Artifacts

Investigating corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) and its impact on social judgments in the weak institution: moderating the role of corporate ability

“Throwaway” consumption in a consumerist society: Evidence from a developing country

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