Design, Lifestyles and Sustainability. Aesthetic Consumption in a World of Abundance Peter Dobers 1 * and Lars Strannegård 2 1 Business Studies in Sustainable Development, School of Business, Mälardalen University, Sweden 2 Centre for Advanced Studies in Leadership, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden ABSTRACT This paper strives for a conceptualization of sustainability, design and contemporary consumption. By sketching out how effective production systems have created an abundance of products, the paper links this development to the aestheticization of society and an increased interest in design. In market economies characterized by profusion, corporations engage in activities filling their offerings with aura, aesthet- ics, symbols and meaning. In such lands of plenty, conspicuous consumption becomes a thoroughly expressive activity and highly problematic for actors with ambitions to design a sustainable future. Our conclusion is that sustainability must ultimately be seen as intertwined with social processes such as fashion, identity and identity construction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. Received 4 November 2004; revised 9 June 2005; accepted 23 June 2005 KKeeyywwoorrddss:: design and sustainability; lifestyle consumption; aesthetic consumption; sustainable consumption; aestheticization of society A World of Abundance S OME SCHOLARS ARGUE THAT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WESTERN ECONOMIES HAVE TRANSFORMED into arenas where information, services and knowledge have become primary value creators (e.g. Castells, 2000). However, even if such economies have moved toward more services in their national incomes, they are overfilled with physical products, with material consumption still increasing, and even if industrial production has become more efficient in economic terms, the great quantity of products and services, and the way they are used and consumed, appears to inhibit the social trail toward sustainability (Gardner et al., 2004). Underlying this development is the notion that produc- Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment Business Strategy and the Environment Bus. Strat. Env. 14, 324–336 (2005) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/bse.495 * Correspondence to: Peter Dobers, Business Studies in Sustainable Development, School of Business, Mälardalen University, P.O. Box 883, 721 23 Västerås, Sweden. E-mail: peter.dobers@mdh.se and lars.strannegard@hhs.se Design, Lifestyles and Sustainability 325 Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment Bus. Strat. Env. 14, 324–336 (2005) tion and consumption are becoming progressively more fashion sensitive, dependent on aesthetics and well designed products and services. In such lands of plenty, serious ecological problems come to the surface. Products and services over- flow an increasing number of saturated markets, and companies need to search for new creative ways of selling their products and services. Companies become more sophisticated in their marketing and sales activities, and benefit financially from an ever-increasing consumption pattern. From a sustain- ability viewpoint, this is bad news. Scholars have suggested that the road to sustainability requires measures such as green accounting (Gray and Bebbington, 2001), green product development (Ritzén, 2000), life-cycle assessments (Baumann, 1998; Baumann and Tillman, 2004), new consumption pat- terns (Solér, 1996), green marketing (Belz, 2001) Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity By: OpenStaxCollege Choices and Tradeoffs In general, the higher the degree, the higher the salary So why aren’t more people pursuing higher degrees? The short answer: choices and tradeoffs (Credit: modification of work by “Jim, the Photographer”/Flickr Creative Commons) Choices To What Degree? In 2012, the median weekly earnings for a full-time U.S worker over 25 with a Master’s degree were $1,300 Multiply this by 52 and you get a yearly salary of $67,600 Compare that to the median weekly earnings for a full-time worker over 25 with no higher than a bachelor’s degree: $1,066 weekly and $55,432 a year What about those 1/3 Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity with no higher than a high school diploma? They earn just $652 weekly and $ 33,904 over 12 months In other words, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), earning a bachelor’s degree boosted salaries 63% over what you would have earned if you had stopped your education after high school A master’s degree yields a salary almost double that of a high school diploma Given these statistics, we might expect a lot of people to choose to go to college and at least earn a bachelor’s degree Assuming that people want to improve their material well-being, it seems like they would make those choices that give them the greatest opportunity to consume goods and services As it turns out, the analysis is not nearly as simple as this In fact, in 2012, the BLS reported that while almost 88% of the population in the United States had a high school diploma, only 31% had bachelor’s degrees, and only 8% had earned a master’s This brings us to the subject of this chapter: why people make the choices they make and how economists go about explaining those choices Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity In this chapter, you will learn about: • How Individuals Make Choices Based on Their Budget Constraint • The Production Possibilities Frontier and Social Choices • Confronting Objections to the Economic Approach You will learn quickly when you examine the relationship between economics and scarcity that choices involve tradeoffs Every choice has a cost In 1968, the Rolling Stones recorded “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Economists chuckled, because they had been singing a similar tune for decades English economist Lionel Robbins (1898–1984), in his Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science in 1932, described not always getting what you want in this way: “The time at our disposal is limited There are only twenty-four hours in the day We have to choose between the different uses to which they may be put Everywhere we turn, if we choose one thing we must relinquish others which, in different circumstances, we would wish not to have relinquished Scarcity of means to satisfy given ends is an almost ubiquitous condition of human nature.” Because people live in a world of scarcity, they cannot have all the time, money, possessions, and experiences they wish Neither can society This chapter will continue our discussion of scarcity and the economic way of thinking by first introducing three critical concepts: opportunity cost, marginal decision making, 2/3 Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity and diminishing returns Later, it will consider whether the economic way of thinking accurately describes either how choices are made or how they should be made 3/3 [...]... challenges Emotional responses Fear Contentllssue Approachapproach Types of Conflict Faced by Executives Avoidanceavoidance Approachavoidance External adaptation Multiple approachavoidance Approachapproach Avoidance avoidance Approachavoidance Internal adaptation Multiple approachavoidance 0 c ( z P n 3 : 0 m n c CI + I c n M X M P W aThis material was adapted from Relationship Dynamics: TheoryandAna/ysis,by... Table 2.4 shows an array of some of the key elements of the content of organizational systems The titles of many traditional departments of institutions are listed, such as research and development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, human resources, finance, safety, planning, maintenance, communications, facilities management, general management, and transportation Each represents a. .. ultimately controlled That stance, reassuring in many ways, demands that we collect and analyze data, identify problems, design interventions, and evaluate outcomes Failure often remains unanticipated in the initial blush of optimism that launches any change management proj ect The stench and sting of a failed consultation engagement only force their way into the practitioner’s awareness as an initiative... are trying to accomplish, I have observed both accomplishment of the specific goals of the change strategy and the maintenance of the gains made over several years The ability to weave the knowledge and skills of psychodynamic and emotional management into the ongoing challenges and tasks of leading, managing, and changing organizational systems greatly adds to the likelihood that any consultation project... adaptation to the surrounding world or of internal adaptation to psychological lives The table also demonstrates the types of conflict that can arise following Hilgard and Marquis’s (cited in Kimble, 196 1 ) categories: approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance, and multiple approach-avoidance The contents or issues of conflicts can be varied and complex, ranging from external dangers... title, in a world that moves ever more rapidly and demands more from each of us with every passing day Business books, magazines, and journals routinely call on leaders and managers to be courageous champions of change and progress Indeed, the modern lore of leadership virtually worships the person who steps into a managerial role and proceeds to turn around an organization in trouble Almost no other pattern... left with a significant gap between the growing understanding of the importance of complexity theory, human behavior, and the psychodynamic aspects of organiza- Introduction I tional and managerial life and the lack of practical guidance for how consultants or coaches can and should work with executives and managers on issues, performance problems, and dimensions of human behavior that have shadow components... functions) Information and evaluation systems Motivation s W N x D G ? 2 3 30 I EXECUTIVE COACHING Key Elements In Organizational Content Element Research and development Engineering ManufaduringlProduction/ Service delivery Marketing/SaIes/Distribution Purchasing Human resources FinanceIAccounting General management Planning Safetyhecurity Information systems Maintenance Communications Facilities management... their organization and the ways in which their managers and staff interacted They wanted an organization that valued people, encouraged innovation and creativity, and rewarded leadership and risk taking, outcomes that any management or consultation team could readily endorse However, this example demonstrates that our PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT 1615 L STREET, NW – SUITE 700 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036 202-419-4500 http://www.pewinternet.org/ The Future of the Internet II A survey of technology thinkers and stakeholders shows they believe the internet will continue to spread in a “flattening” and improving world. There are many, though, who think major problems will accompany technology advances by 2020 September 24, 2006 Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University Lee Rainie, Director This Pew Internet & American Life Project report is based on the findings of an online sample of 742 internet stakeholders, recruited via email notices sent to an initial sample of pre-identified experts as well as a snowball sample of their colleagues in the period between November 30, 2005 and April 4, 2006. Since the data are based on a non-random sample, a margin of error cannot be computed, and the results are not projectable to any population other than those experts who completed the survey. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 1615 L Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036 202-419-4500 http://www.pewinternet.org Hundreds of internet leaders, activists, builders and commentators were asked about the effect of the internet on social, political and economic life in the year 2020. The views of the 742 respondents who completed this survey were varied; there is general agreement about how technology might evolve, but there is less agreement among these respondents about the impact of this evolution. Reacting to several scenarios constructed by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the respondents struck on several themes and emergent problems in their answers: The deployment of a global network : A majority of respondents agreed with a scenario which posited that a global, low-cost network will be thriving in 2020 and will be available to most people around the world at low cost. And they agreed that a tech-abetted “flattening” of the world will open up opportunities for success for many people who will compete globally. Still, a vocal and sizeable minority of respondents say they are unsure that the policy climate will be favorable for such internet expansion. The center of the resistance, they say, will be in the businesses anxious to preserve their current advantages and in policy circles where control over information and communication is a central value. In addition, a significant number of these dissenters argued that the world will not flatten enough to wipe away persistent social inequities. Human control over technology : Most respondents said they think humans will remain in charge of technology between now and 2020. However some fear that technological progress will eventually create machines and processes that move beyond human control. Others said they fear that the leaders who exercise control of the technology might use this power inappropriately. 5 2 External Public Relations Sources Introduction Public relations work is normally carried out either by the in-house resource of an organization or through some form of external resource, usually a public relations consultancy. On occasions, however, it can be a mix of both methods. This chapter looks in outline at some of the external resources that are available for public relations work. Consultancies A consultancy is not an agency, although the latter term is often used, misleadingly, when describing a consultancy. For example, a manage- ment consultancy is different from a management agency, in that the former offers a whole range of consultancy services, while the latter works on commission from employers. Similarly, advertising agencies are agents of the media, from whom they gain much of their income by commission on space and air-time. They get accredited or recognized by media owners 319(02).p65 13/06/00, 12:225 Public relations – a practical guide 6 organizations (eg The National Press Agency, or the Independent Television Contractors Association). They are a sort of commission agent, unlike public relations consultancies, whose income comes from fees based on expertise, experience and the number of hours worked on a particular clients account. Why use a consultancy? Public relations consultancies are usually employed for the following reasons: l The organization concerned is not big enough, financially or other- wise, to justify its own PR department. l Company policy lays down that all public relations is handled externally. l The organization needs specialist services. l To supply a media-relations service. l To plan and execute a public relations programme. l Convenience. If an organization has several offices a consultancy can provide centrally based services for organizing functions such as press launches, conferences and receptions. l To handle one-off assignments. l To provide specialist services such as house journal production, corporate or financial public relations and parliamentary PR sponsorship. In the United Kingdom there are a considerable number of consult- ancies, ranging from the very large, internationally based, to the more modest, medium sized or very small. There are also individual PR practitioners, some of whom offer specialized consultancy services on a business-to-business basis, while others provide more general coverage and a full service for their clients, directly to the public. About 150 consultancies, who between them probably control about three-quarters of the total UK consultancy business, are members of the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA). For a consult- ancy to become a member of the PRCA it has to comply with a set of 319(02).p65 13/06/00, 12:226 7 External public relations sources rules covering all areas of reputable business operation. These include: l maintaining a high level of ethical standards; l registration of members who hold public office; l dissemination of honest and accurate information; l confidentiality of information obtained from clients, past and present; l representation of competing interests only with the Life Sciences Standards Preview Standard Set Life Sciences Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival As a basis for understanding this concept: 3.c Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are beneficial 3.d Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce; others die or move to new locations 3.e Students know that some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared and that some of those resembled others that are alive today by Trish West Genre Nonfiction Comprehension Skill Make Inferences Text Features • Captions • Glossary Science Content Changing Environments Scott Foresman Science 3.5 ISBN 0-328-23530-X ì ... people make the choices they make and how economists go about explaining those choices Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity In this chapter, you will learn about: • How Individuals Make Choices... scarcity and the economic way of thinking by first introducing three critical concepts: opportunity cost, marginal decision making, 2/3 Introduction to Choice in a World of Scarcity and diminishing... and scarcity that choices involve tradeoffs Every choice has a cost In 1968, the Rolling Stones recorded “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Economists chuckled, because they had been singing