Browsing by Subject "Well-being"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
An alternative market for well-being: reconnecting producers and consumers through shared commitments
(2017-06) Watson, Forrest
Markets have increased consumption, but not necessarily improved social connections, also a vital part of well-being. Producers and consumers are anonymous to one another in the traditional capitalist paradigm, where each individual pursues his or her own gain on the grounds that markets effectively promote the interest of society. This thesis considers an alternative premise for an economy that balances financial and social benefits, where consumers and producers are reconnected for mutual benefit. An exploratory mixed methods research approach was applied to the case of a predominant alternative food network in Turkey. First, qualitative data collection and analysis revealed shared commitment between the owner, employees, and customers of this network. Second, through customer and employee surveys, the collective action, congruent values and goals, and concern for the future welfare of others dimensions of shared commitment between actors were measured and a structural model of its impact on well-being tested. The findings demonstrate the existence of an alternative market model, founded on shared commitment, which improves well-being for producers and consumers. Despite limitations in the community that can be built among consumers and producers who live geographically distant from one another, it is hopeful for an urbanizing world that shared commitments can still develop and well-being can be improved. Although the findings point to some vulnerabilities to dark sides, the research overall shows the well-being potential of shared commitment outweighs the risk of ill-being. A re-socialized market can facilitate reduced alienation, rather than just instrumental exchanges, and enhance well-being.
Open Access
Hedonic consumption practices of the disadvantaged and their well-being outcomes: a multimethod research on Syrian refugees in Turkey
(2021-08) Baktır, Zeynep
Consumption may be a practical tool to cope with the challenges of displacement. While there is extensive research on vulnerable groups such as immigrants and the poor as consumers, research on refugee consumers is quite limited. Moreover, consumers are not equal when it comes to consuming certain products and services, and thus research on the hedonic consumption of refugees is far from preliminary exploration. This research aims to fill this gap by studying refugees’ hedonic consumption, its functional role as a coping strategy, and its potential unintended consequences. Such an approach is essential for the mutual understanding of refugees and their local hosts and a harmonious living together, as refugees are also part of the greater consumer society, which plays a substantial role in the proper functioning of everyday life. The dissertation starts with an introduction covering literature on related topics such as hedonic consumption, coping, prosocial behavior, and well-being. Then, the qualitative research methodology is presented, followed by the findings of the field study. A framework is proposed to illustrate the various well-being outcomes of hedonic consumption through social capital and psychological capital that help refugees cope in some distinct ways. Next, local prosocial tendencies resulting from refugees’ hedonic consumption are tested to illustrate the subsequent local backlash towards refugees. Finally, community well-being outcomes of entrepreneurship driven by hedonic consumption are presented with a model that brings forth the importance of trust in refugee-hosting communities. The dissertation ends with a summary and intended contributions. Implications for marketers and policymakers are also discussed.
Open Access
Human capabilities versus human capital: gauging the value of education in developing countries
(Springer, 2006) Wigley, S.
The purpose of this study is to defend the view that education should be evaluated in terms of the capability to achieve valued functionings, rather than mental satisfaction or resources. In keeping with Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach we argue that mental satisfaction provides an inaccurate metric of well-being because of the phenomenon of adaptive preferences. Equally, resources cannot be used as a metric of well-being because of inequalities in the ability to convert income and commodities into valued functionings. Hence, interpreting education as a means to create human capital is also impoverished because it evaluates education solely in terms of the accumulation of resources. In order to provide evidence in support of the human capabilities approach we statistically examine the channels through which educational attainment affects the health functionings implied by life expectancy. Using panel data analysis for 35 developing countries for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000 we compare the health functionings (as indicated by life expectancy) that are achieved by the income growth generated by educational attainment, with the total health functionings that are achieved by educational attainment. We find that educational attainment (as indicated by average years of schooling) has a significant effect on life expectancy independently of its effect by way of income growth. A 1% increase in per capita income increases life expectancy by 0.073954% while a 1% increase in average years of schooling directly increases life expectancy by 0.055324%. Because it shows that income underestimates the health functionings achieved by educational attainment, our empirical findings lend support to the claim that the value of education should be measured in terms of the capability for functioning, rather than resources.
Open Access
Quality of motivation, well-being and achievement in preparatory programs for English language: implications for curriculum and instruction
(2018-09) Güler, Aslıhan Tuğçe
This thesis investigates Turkish students’ autonomous and controlled motivation in preparatory programs for English language and their correlates. Specifically, the study examined (a) to what extent preparatory school students’ autonomous and controlled motivation for their English courses in preparatory school (specific level) can be predicted by their motivations to study for their disciplinary courses in a university department (contextual level). Also, this research examined (b) the relation between autonomous and controlled motivation for English courses and students’ academic achievement and vitality in preparatory English classes. In order to analyze the relations between the variables, a cross-sectional correlational research design was applied. The study was conducted in fourteen universities in Turkey with 121 participants. (Mean age = 20.04; SD = 1,319). The results of the two-step hierarchical regression analyses revealed that students’ autonomous or controlled motivation at a specific level (English classes) was significantly predicted by their autonomous or controlled motivation at a contextual level (disciplinary courses). Also, the regression analysis indicated that specific controlled motivation of the participants was high when they prolonged their studies in preparatory school in addition to a low level of proficiency in English. On the other hand, the achievement scores were negatively and positively associated with specific controlled and autonomous motivation, respectively. Finally, the findings revealed that vitality was positively related with specific autonomous motivation, while both vitality and achievement was lower both for students with low level of proficiency in English and for students who failed to complete English studies in their first year.
Open Access
Responsiveness as a key predictor of happiness: mechanisms and unanswered questions
(Springer, 2018) Günaydın, Gül; Selçuk, E.; Karagöbek, A. B.; Demir, M.; Sümer, N.
The importance of close relationships for happiness has long been recognized. This long-held interest has produced an increase in relevant empirical work investigating the links between relationships and personal well-being in the last three decades. Recent attempts at integrating this vast body of literature suggest that responsiveness—i.e., the belief that close relationship partners understand, validate, and care for us—is a core process linking close relationships to health and happiness. In the present chapter, we review the links between responsiveness and happiness, with an emphasis on studies of marital and long-term romantic relationships. The available evidence indicates that partner responsiveness improves happiness in both negative contexts (by preserving happiness in the face of stress and adversity) and positive contexts (by augmenting and prolonging happiness induced by pleasant events and supporting the pursuit of personally meaningful goals and self-actualization). We believe that future work should build on this literature by investigating intergenerational effects of partner responsiveness on offspring happiness, comparing the roles of different social network members in happiness, examining how cultural grounding of relationships modulate the responsiveness-happiness link, and identifying the different components of responsiveness critical for happiness across cultures and developmental stages.
Open Access
Understanding the dark sides of alternative economies to maximize societal benefit
(SAGE Publications, 2020) Watson, F.; Ekici, Ahmet
Alternative economies can significantly contribute to societal flourishing, but the potential dark sides should also be considered. As shared commitments are the foundation of alternative economies, we draw on related literature to conceptualize various types of dark sides of an alternative economy. While less prominent than the well-being outcomes, we present qualitative data of when the participants of one alternative food network experienced disappointment, burnout, guilt, or division. Comparing with the dark sides gleaned from other studies on alternative economies, we present a framework for evaluating the dark sides in alternative economies. Dark sides can be on a continuum from the micro level to the macro level, as well as more likely to threaten the continuance of alternative economies or societal well-being. We offer recommendations to guard against the vulnerabilities of alternative economies for their continued growth and impact, as well as discuss the implications for research on marketing systems failure.