scholarly journals Vegetarian Diet: Consumption in the Context of Asceticism

Inter ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 38-61
Author(s):  
Maria P. Kuz ◽  
Valeriia D. Chernoskutova
Keyword(s):  
Vegetarian Diet ◽  
Rite Of Passage ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Conventional Diet ◽  
Vegetarian Diets ◽  
The One ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Depth Interviews

The research contributes to the study of the consumer practices and internal structure of vegetarian community. On the one part, vegetarians are seen as ascetic lifestyle followers, whereas on the other vegetarians constitute a part of consumer society as evidenced by the rapid growth in specialty “vegetarian market”. Thus, we come up with the contradiction between vegetarian’s demonstrated ascetic idea of abandoning consumption and real engagement into the processes governed by the consumer society. The research is conducted in mixed-method design. The qualitative part is formed by 21 in-depth interviews with “experienced vegetariandieters” of various stages in Russia (vegetarians, vegans, raw-vegans and fruitarians). Furthermore, the survey is built on a random sample of the same empirical object (225 selfcompleted questionnaires) in order to estimate and verify some of the qualitative-part results. The research shows that consumption is central to the process of transition to vegetarian diet as takes the adaptive part: identical goods and services contribute to the group assimilation. The extent of adherence to “vegetarian market” is differentiated according to the type of vegetarian diet. It is supposed that all the vegetarian diets (vegetarianism, veganism, rawism, fruitarianism) can be accounted as unity, which is split into several hierarchical types of diet (stages). The process of transition to various stages (from conventional diet to vegetarianism, from vegetarianism to veganism, from veganism to rawism and fruitarianism) is interpreted via the “rite of passage” theory and its’ three phases (separation, transition and incorporation). The results show that there exists a vegetarian hierarchy, where vegetarian-dieters can sequentially advance their stage via the circular “rite of passage” (which means that each several transition between any of the vegetarianism stages requires anew “rite of passage” to be thoroughly accomplished).

scholarly journals Extreme Losers: On Excess and Profitless Expenditure in Male Gambler Practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-82
Author(s):  
Marco Pedroni
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Pathological Gambler ◽  
Pathological Gamblers ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Central Notion ◽  
Ethnographic Observation ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews

The essay looks at male gambling by investigating it as a form of resistance to the utilitarian values which lie at the base of the market logic. Here the excess is viewed as a central notion in opposition to that of utility. Far from minimising the negative impact of excessive gambling on society and individuals, this contribution attempts to go beyond an analysis based on the categories of pathology and expenditure only. Through excess, the pathological gambler unveils the symbolic and arbitrary ideology of capitalism which sees economic success as a sign of election or a choice whereby money is used not as an investment or to access to goods and services, but “wasted”.To address these issues, two complementary ethnographic methods are used: (1) a three-month ethnographic observation in 23 gambling locations in Milan’s metropolitan area; (2) 10 in-depth interviews with extreme male gamblers.The article attempts to answer the following research question: How does excess take place in male gambling practices? Risk factors for extreme gambling are analysed, with a particular focus on the relationship between gambling and masculinity. In the effort to go beyond an analysis of gambling based on the categories of pathology and expenditure only, gambling is conncetd to the notion of excess. Gambling locations as facilitators of excess are studied, and the life stories of pathological gamblers discussed. The paradoxical ambivalence of gambling practices, on the one side a form of domination of the subordinate classe, on the other an opportunity to resist through an anti-utilitarian act, are highlighted.

scholarly journals Shameful Technological Impertinence: Consumer Ambivalence among iPad Early-Buyers

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Aksel Tjora ◽  
Lisbeth Elvira Levang Løvik ◽  
Frank Hauboff Hansen ◽  
Marianne Skaar
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Generic Concept ◽  
Central Platform ◽  
The One ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article is motivated by the excessive success of Apple’s iPad, introduced in 2010, questioning the motives for acquiring the product at the time of launch. The purpose is to understand the decision to buy an expensive product that had a fairly undefined use. On the basis of in-depth interviews of ‘early-buyers’ (‘early adopters’) of the iPad, we examine, in this article, justifications for the acquisition of such an ‘open technology’ use. Using theories of consumer society (Veblen, Bauman, Debord), Protestant ethics (Weber), impression management (Goffman, Leary) and group identity (Maffesoli), we develop, in the analysis, the concept of shameful technological impertinence concerning the ambiguity between frugality as value and consumer-based identity related to the latest technology. A reflection on this concept contributes to an understanding of how excessive technology consumption, on the one hand is followed by an unashamed desire to show off new ‘gadgets’ and on the other hand, a more shameful self-presentation defending the purchase. Today, just over ten years after the launch of the iPad and our interviews, the iPad is taken for granted as a central platform for a number of applications, for everything from personal entertainment to work- and school-related use. In light of this, we conclude with a reflection on how shameful technological impertinence as a more generic concept will be relevant in some phases rather than others, as new innovations are brought into use. The project is limited to the first iPad and its users, and further research could investigate a larger array of consumer electronics and how attitudes towards buying could be increasingly influenced by a growing concern about the abuse of natural resources.

A Study on Consumers’ Awareness on Goods and Services Tax

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
A. Hilary Joseph ◽  
D. Kanakavalli
Keyword(s):  
Tax Reform ◽  
Subsequent Stage ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Value Addition ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Late Night ◽  
Single Tax ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Ease Of Doing Business ◽  
The One

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) -- India's biggest tax reform since independence formally launched in Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee came into force after 17 tumultuous years of debate, unifying more than a dozen central and state levies.  The new tax regime was ushered at the late night of 30th June and came into force on 1st July 2017.  The one national GST unifies the country's USD 2 trillion economy and 1.3 billion people into a common market.  As commented by Mr.Modi, GST is not just tax reform but its economic reform. GST is a way forward in the ease of doing business.  In the language of law, it is called the goods and services tax, but the benefit of GST is really a Good and Simple Tax. Good because multiple taxes will be removed. Simple because it requires just one form and is easy to use.  GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer.  Credits of input taxes paid at each stage will be available in the subsequent stage of value addition, which makes GST essentially a tax only on value addition at each stage. The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages.  It renders numerous benefits to different parties such as business and industry, central and state governments and the ultimate consumers.  An effort is made to understand the consumers’ awareness on Goods and Services Tax. Everything that is introduced will attract agitation and unrest among different group of people and they can easily be overcome by designing programmes to clarify the objections of renowned economists.  GST will sure to have success when the confidence of every individual Indian citizens have obtained.

Argumentation of the Courts and Contemporary Legal Scholarship

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Kuenzler
Keyword(s):  
Case Law ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Court Case ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Resale Price Maintenance ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Supreme Court Case ◽  
Resale Price ◽  
The One ◽  
Price Maintenance

This chapter analyzes existing U.S. Supreme Court case law with respect to, on the one hand, antitrust’s minimum resale price maintenance plans, bundling and tying practices, as well as refusals to deal, and, on the other hand, trademark law’s dilution, postsale, sponsorship, and initial interest confusion doctrines, including design patent and selected areas of copyright law. It demonstrates that courts, based on the free riding hypothesis, have come to protect increasing amounts of artificial shortage of everyday consumer goods and services and corresponding incentives to innovate. Through the preservation of such values, antitrust and intellectual property laws have evolved into “dilution laws” and have focused, almost exclusively, on the refurbishment of the technological supply side of our present-day digital economies rather than also on the human demand side of “creative consumption.”

The State Policy towards the Homeless in Moldova between the ‘Left Hand’ and the ‘Right Hand’. The Case of Chișinău Shelter

Südosteuropa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-195
Author(s):  
Petru Negură
Keyword(s):  
Homeless People ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
The State ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Binary Approach ◽  
The One ◽  
The Right ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract The Centre for the Homeless in Chișinău embodies on a small scale the recent evolution of state policies towards the homeless in Moldova (a post-Soviet state). This institution applies the binary approach of the state, namely the ‘left hand’ and the ‘right hand’, towards marginalised people. On the one hand, the institution provides accommodation, food, and primary social, legal assistance and medical care. On the other hand, the Shelter personnel impose a series of disciplinary constraints over the users. The Shelter also operates a differentiation of the users according to two categories: the ‘recoverable’ and those deemed ‘irrecoverable’ (persons with severe disabilities, people with addictions). The personnel representing the ‘left hand’ (or ‘soft-line’) regularly negotiate with the employees representing the ‘right hand’ (‘hard-line’) of the institution to promote a milder and a more humanistic approach towards the users. This article relies on multi-method research including descriptive statistical analysis with biographical records of 810 subjects, a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with homeless people (N = 65), people at risk of homelessness (N = 5), professionals (N = 20) and one ethnography of the Shelter.

Notes on Competition and Justum Pretium Theory and Practice in Medieval Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Claudio Corradi
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Medieval Italy ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Pricing Theory ◽  
Market Variables ◽  
The One ◽  
Capitalist Spirit

Medieval Italian Comuni are often considered as one of the cradles of the modern capitalist spirit. Comuni introduced economic legislation in an attempt to counteract restrictions to competition on the one hand and to control the price of certain goods and services on the other. Price control of basic commodities was often motivated by reasons of public order – such as preventing commoners’ riots. Despite some loose analogies with the modern European Union competition law approach to pricing – namely in the area of excessive pricing – the Italian medieval Comuni pricing theory and practice substantially differed from the modern European Union one. Medieval theory struggled in reconciling market mechanisms with costs analysis and missed the distinction between efficiency and distribution. Moreover, medieval Comuni market variables were substantially divergent from the modern European ones. Despite Comuni being the wealthiest areas in Europe in those days, their consumers had significantly lower buying power, they were affected by different cognitive biases than modern consumers and they were highly segmented from a gender perspective. Medieval producers, that is artisans, did not enjoy the degree of market power that characterizes modern oligopolists. Artisans produced goods for merchants who were the main promoters of trade and economic development. Merchants often succeeded in squeezing artisans’ profits, granting consumers lower prices for manufactured goods, at times also thanks to free trade policies pursued by Comuni administrations.

Paratexts, Italian style

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Barra ◽  
Massimo Scaglioni
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Professional Practices ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Main Production ◽  
The One ◽  
Original Practices ◽  
Tv Show ◽  
Depth Interviews

In recent years, the completed transition towards a fully developed multichannel environment and the growth of non-linear offers has brought to the Italian television (TV) landscape unprecedented attention on the ways in which programmes are communicated to the audience and their images and identities are carefully built. The preparation and circulation of promos have therefore grown in importance and relevance in the national TV industry, as new original practices emerged and a long-lasting tradition was challenged by new formats and goals. Building on a set of in-depth interviews with professionals involved in the writing, production and distribution of promos, and analysis of other production materials, the article reconstructs the ‘promotional cultures’ of Italian broadcasters, analysing the main production processes, the different kinds of promos and the various skills involved, and the logics and constraints involved in the making of these ephemeral paratexts that more and more are pervading both the structure of programming flow and the experience of national TV viewers. Thus, the article investigates the professional practices and logics of contemporary commercial and pay TV programme promotion in Italy, defining the role played by national private broadcasters and transnational groups in shaping an Italian promotional space on TV. The ‘Italian style’ of TV show promotion emerges as a constant negotiation between local historical traditions and clichés, on the one hand, and international trends in promo production and aesthetics, on the other, with a solid path shared with other countries and broadcasters, and some peculiar specificities.

Health Implications of a Vegetarian Diet

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Marsh ◽  
Carol Zeuschner ◽  
Angela Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Health Benefits ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Vegetarian Diet ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Vegan Diet ◽  
Eating Pattern ◽  
Nutritional Needs ◽  
Vegetarian Diets ◽  
Treatment Of Obesity ◽  
Chronic Health Problems

There is now a significant amount of research that demonstrates the health benefits of vegetarian and plant-based diets, which have been associated with a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer as well as increased longevity. Vegetarian diets are typically lower in fat, particularly saturated fat, and higher in dietary fiber. They are also likely to include more whole grains, legumes, nuts, and soy protein, and together with the absence of red meat, this type of eating plan may provide many benefits for the prevention and treatment of obesity and chronic health problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet can meet all the nutritional needs of an individual, it may be necessary to pay particular attention to some nutrients to ensure an adequate intake, particularly if the person is on a vegan diet. This article will review the evidence for the health benefits of a vegetarian diet and also discuss strategies for meeting the nutritional needs of those following a vegetarian or plant-based eating pattern.

scholarly journals Benefits and challenges of practicing taekwondo to adolescents in Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Emru Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Self Defense ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Depth Interviews

<p>This study aimed at examining the benefits and challenges of practicing Taekwondo (TKD) to adolescents in Addis Ababa. In so doing, the study investigated the nature of TKD training, benefits of practicing TKD, and challenges/problems related with practicing TKD. A descriptive concurrent mixed methods research design was used. Accordingly, the quantitative part of the study had 108 TKD adolescent participants while the qualitative part had 12 participants (eight TKD adolescents and four TKD coaches), from four TKD clubs in Addis Ababa. Both one-stage cluster sampling technique and purposive sampling technique were employed to select participants for the quantitative and qualitative parts of the study, respectively. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to collect data from participants. Results of the study indicated: (1) the TKD training provided by the four TKD clubs was more of a modern/sport form of TKD; (2) TKD adolescents and coaches perceived that the benefits of TKD for adolescents are multifaceted, i.e., social benefits, physical benefits, mental benefits, self-defense, addiction avoidance, and other benefits; and (3) though majority (63.6%) of the respondents claimed that they did not face any problem as a result of practicing TKD, the following were identified as major problems that could threaten the wellbeing of TKD adolescents: family-related problems, community-related problems, and competition-related problems. In general, results show that the training of TKD can have a multifaceted positive contribution to adolescents’ wellbeing.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals The Future of the European University: Liberal Democracy or Authoritarian Capitalism?

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Rider
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Free Enterprise ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
The One ◽  
Autonomous Agency ◽  
The University ◽  
University Science

This paper examines the prevalent notion that that the production of knowledge, academic research and teaching can and ought to be audited and assessed in the same manner as the production of other goods and services. The emphasis on similarities between industry and the academy leads to a neglect of fundamental differences in their aims and, as a consequence, a tendency to evaluate scientific research in terms of patents and product development and colleges and universities in terms of the labour market. The article examines the idea of the free academy, on the one hand, and compares and contrasts it to the idea of free enterprise, on the other. It is argued that the view of the university as a supplier of specific solutions for pre-determined, non-scientific needs (a workforce with skills currently in demand, innovations for commercial partners, justifications for political decisions, etc) undermines the public legitimacy of university science and weakens the fabric of scientific training and practice. The article proposes that the university’s main purpose must be to provide a recognized neutral, autonomous agency of rigorous, disinterested investigation and scientific education, which constitutes a necessary condition for an enlightened liberal democracy: an informed, capable and critical citizenry.

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