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New Issues and Paradigms in Research on Social Dilemmas
This edited volume has been compiled to present new theoretical and methodological developments in the field of social dilemma research. Social dilemmas are situations when there is a conflict between self-interest and collective interest. Research in this area has gained interest in the last twenty years in disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and economics. It also has wide applications to numerous real-world issues including environmental degradation, organizational management, and provision of societal public good. The three sections in the volume mirror the different levels of analysis in this research: the individual, group, and societal levels.
Homo Oeconomicus : The Economic Model of Behaviour and Its Applications in Economics and Other Social Sciences
The economic model of behaviour is fundamental not only in economic theory, but also in modern approaches of other social sciences, above all in political science and law. This book provides a comprehensive treatise of the general model, its philosophical and methodological foundations and its applications in different fields. In addition to the basic model, extensions to its assumptions are examined to account for complex applications like low-cost situations with moral behaviour. Finally, the book takes a broader perspective by evaluating the impact of the model on economic policy and on the development of the field of social science as a whole, such as the competition between individualistic and collectivist approaches.
Cross-Business Synergies : A Typology of Cross-Business Synergies and a Mid-range Theory of Continuous Growth Synergy Realization
Sebastian Knoll investigates what cross-business synergies actually are and how they are realized successfully. In a first step, a theory-based typology of cross-business synergies is developed and two new types of synergies are conceptualized: (1) Growth synergies, i.e. profitable growth advantages from recombining complementary operative resources across businesses, and (2) corporate management synergies, i.e. performance advantages from leveraging corporate management capabilities across businesses. In a second step, the author focuses on growth synergies and inducts a framework for their continuous realization from a longitudinal in-depth single case study. He suggests that the successful realization of growth synergies is associated with a selective focus on specific growth opportunities, decentralized cross-business collaboration that motivates productive business unit self-interest, and a corporate management approach that guides and balances this self-interest in an evolutionary fashion.
