All organizations, institutions, business processes, markets and strategies have one aim in common: the reduction of transaction costs. This aim is pursued relentlessly in practice, and has been perceived to bring about drastic changes, especially in the recent global market and the cyber economy. This book analyzes and describes “transactions” as a model, on the basis of which organization…
This open access book gathers the contributions from the Design! OPEN International Conference, held in Parma, Italy in May 2022. The conference explored the multidisciplinary aspects of design starting from its dimensions: objects (design as focused on the object, on its functional and symbolic dimension, and at the same time on the object as a tool for representing cultures), processes (the d…
This open access book summarizes research being pursued within the SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) project, funded by the EU under the H2020 programme, the goal of which is to set up an analytical, reflective and learning framework to explore the transformations in initiatives and policies emerging from the interaction between citizens and stakeholders. The book pr…
Late in a career of more than sixty years, Thomas Burch, an internationally known social demographer, undertook a wide-ranging methodological critique of demography. This open access volume contains a selection of resulting papers, some previously unpublished, some published but not readily accessible. Rejecting the idea that demography is simply a branch of applied statistics, his work views i…
Agent-Based Modelling; ABM; Artificial Intelligence; AI; Computational social science; Social simulation; Population sciences
This open access textbook offers a guide to corporate finance for modern companies that want to create long-term value. Drawing on recent literature on sustainable companies, it starts by analysing the Sustainable Development Goals as a strategy for the transition to a sustainable economy. Next, it translates the general concept of sustainability into core corporate finance methods, such as net…
This open access book is a compact guide to the development of sustainable business, which has become the central concept in discussions about the future development of humanity and planet earth. It provides basic terminology and concepts on sustainable business and offers insights into a new management paradigm that integrates social and environmental dimensions into business models, strategie…
This Open Access book provides a detailed account of firms’ research and development (R&D) management practices, and whether and how R&D management practices are associated with the success and the nature (explorative or exploitive) of innovation, using a unique survey of firms in Japan. While there is wide agreement that innovation is a key determinant for growth of firms, there are few stud…
This book discusses the concepts, types, models, and patterns of Japan’s Hometown Tax Donation Payment system, to provide a clear picture of this newly developed unique and innovative fund-raising tool used by municipalities. It also sheds light on the influences that reciprocal gifts provided by each municipality to donors have on local economies by reviewing empirical works and surveys targ…
In an era of rapid change and increasing societal demands, the role of universities as knowledge producers and catalysts for change has come under scrutiny. This open access book offers a fresh perspective on the significance of universities in society, shedding light on how their knowledge can truly matter beyond academia. Drawing upon insightful inquiries from both the Swedish and internat…