While the threat of boycotts has become an important consideration in management decision-making, there has been little research of factors influencing an individual's motivation to participate in a boycott. This paper examines self-enhancement and need for consistency as possible explanations. It also adapts theories about pressure group motivations underlying calls for boycotts to explain ind...

This study reports on the issue of consumer-led design ideas in service innovations. The research is conducted through a “service science” lens, which treats consumers, providers, and technologies as parts of a service system wherein their interaction results in potentially mutual benefits. However, do consumers want to provide input into the design of services, can their ideas be valuable, and...

In spite of not being ‘public goods’ in the strict sense of the term, public provision has been a common way of supplying utilities services around the world. Among the major reasons underlying the dominant position of the public sector as the provider of infrastructure are the recognition of the economic and political importance of infrastructure for development, and the faith that government ...

E-commerce is reality. Millions of consumers buy goods or subscribe to services online. However, they are often presented with take-it-or-leave-it decisions: consumers must accept standard business terms and privacy policies as they are or the contract cannot be concluded. We explore the idea of letting the consumer cross out unwanted clauses online, giving back what was possible for offline co...

With the escalating significance of personal privacy, one of the most controversial subjects deals with the use of consumer information -should consumers be asked to object to the use of personal data (“opt-out”), or should they be asked to consent to the use of such data (“opt-in”)? Various industry and consumer associations have held contradictory opinions on this question. Fundamentally, the...

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of a consumer-directed personal assistance services (CDPAS) program on the lives of persons with disabilities. METHODS Thirteen individuals receiving paid agency-directed PAS services before enrollment in a CDPAS program (Agency Group) and 40 individuals receiving only unpaid PAS before enrollment (Informal Group) participated in this prospective study. In-hom...

This Open Forum examines research on case management that draws on consumer perspectives. It clarifies the extent of consumer involvement and whether evaluations were informed by recovery perspectives. Searches of three databases revealed 13 studies that sought to investigate consumer perspectives. Only one study asked consumers about experiences of recovery. Most evaluations did not adequately...

RESULTS: Fifty-five participants (31 patients and 24 parents) completed all questionnaires, 98.2% preferred active involvement in therapeutic decision-making. The SDM-Q-9 scores, assessed by patients and physicians, were acceptable (mean 68 out of 100). However, the independently assessed OPTION-5 scores were significantly lower (mean 31 out of 100). In the consultations, physicians rarely aske...